Courtesy of Christie's

A legal document in which Paul McCartney sought to initiate the official breakup of The Beatles will go up for bid on Thursday, June 14, as part of a Christie's auction in New York City.

In the historic affidavit, which dates from December 1970, McCartney details the various reasons why he wants to dissolve his partnership with John Lennon and the other members of the group.

The document, which is estimated to fetch between $100,000 and $150,000, also features handwritten comments by John Lennon reacting to his band mate's complaints.

Among the reasons McCartney lists for launching his legal action are the fact that The Beatles had stopped performing live; his objection to the other band members' decision to hire as a man he didn't trust -- Allen Klein -- as their manager; and his assertion that staying in the group was hampering his creative freedom.

In the document, next to McCartney's assertion that the band members were closer when they used to tour, Lennon wrote, "many fights on tour about leadership."

Next to a section in which McCartney complains that Lennon was no longer interested in performing on Beatles songs that "he had not written himself," John charges that "Paul was guilty of this for years."

Paul also maintains that he was upset that the band's label, Apple, had sought to delay the release of his debut solo album, McCartney, which he viewed as a threat to his creative freedom. Lennon's written response was that he "resented the high-handed way in which [Paul's] record 'suddenly' appeared, and [how he demanded] release dates with no consideration whatever for other Apple Products."

The Beatles' breakup actually had been public knowledge since April 1970, when McCartney had announced he'd left the band.

Visit Christies.com for full details about the historic document.

Copyright  2018, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.iStock/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) -- Joseph Kim, a political studies student at Bard College in New York, will be watching the Singapore summit with special interest: He's a North Korean defector.



Kim, who's 28, escaped North Korea in 2006 when he was 16, spent a year in China, then decided to find refuge in the U.S.



Hes one of several defectors ABC News spoke with to get their unique views on what they think of the summit.



Kim says he's "hopeful but cautiously skeptical," and thinks President Donald Trump should keep sanctions against North Korea in place to make sure Kim Jong Un doesn't acquire enough economic means to recharge the country's nuclear program.



"The U.S. priority is denuclearization and even to this day we don't know if North Korea and the U.S. share the same definition of what that is," said Kim, explaining why he had mixed feelings why he first heard about the possible meeting between the two leaders.



But his biggest concern is also personal: human rights.



"I hope that the regime would start, at least gradually, to make some commitment to improve human rights issue such as termination of the concentration camp, torture issues," said Kim. "Because that means the friends that I have left and friends that have grown up [with] in North Korea would potentially have a better chance of living."



"There are links between human rights abuse and the military program," said Lindsay Lloyd, the deputy director of Human Freedom at the Bush Institute. "It's one of the ways North Korea earns currency they use to acquire technology and acquire weapons and so forth."



"They have large programs of slave labor where they send North Koreans overseas to work in places like in Russia and China but also in the middle east. The money doesn't go into those laborer's pockets, they all go to the government in Pyongyang and because of all the economic sanctions, North Korea is desperate to have access to western currency," Lloyd said, explaining it's important not to "lose sight of the condition of the North Korean people."



More than 31,000 North Korean defectors have entered South Korea, according to South Korea's Ministry of Unification. A relatively small number, about 220, came to the U.S., according to the Bush Institute.



While North Korean defectors are provided with a resettlement program catering to their specific needs in South Korea, a program that experts call "generous" and "outstanding" compared to the program in the U.S., defectors in the U.S. are treated like any other refugees.



Whether the defectors chose South Korea or the U.S. as their new home, the skepticism towards the leader of their previous home is shared.



"Without a clear condition stated from the North, Trump and Kim should not meet," said Sang Hak Park, a defector who has been living in Seoul for 18 years now. "North Korea has been lying for the past 27 years to the international society."



Kim Jong Il, Kim Jong Un's late father, broke nuclear agreements with the Clinton administration in the 1990s and the Bush administration a decade later.



"Kim Jong Un is following the exact same strategy that his father did. People are forgetting history," said Suzanne Scholte, the Chair of the North Korea Freedom Coalition, referring to the end of the 1990s and early 2000s when the North Korean regime was under "enormous stress."



"Kim Jong Il decided to have talks with South Korea, the 'sunshine policy' started, they were able to make all these promises and what happened? Millions of people continue to die, suffer under this regime and they developed the nuclear program because they didn't follow through on the commitments," said Scholte.



"When they've lied eight times, why shouldn't they lie the ninths time?" said Park.



"What's even more important than nukes is the human rights issue," said Park. "It's the matter of whether our parents, brothers and sisters are living another 70 years as slaves of the leader or becoming free. It's an incredibly crucial time for us."



Park's family defected to Seoul in 1999. Park, who says he lived an upper-class life in Pyongyang, says he was lucky that his father was a former North Korean spy who disguised himself as a Japanese businessman in Seoul. Because of that his family had access to government officials helping them escape the country relatively easily.



"I want to ask Mr. Trump, please be on the side of the North Korean defectors and just say two things at the summit: denuclearization and termination of political prison camps. If he just says those two things, he will be remembered as a great president in history," said Park.



Although defectors regret the lack of human rights issues mentioned, one defector says Trump was right to be tough on North Korea.



"If you're soft towards North Korea, that's lowering yourself from the beginning, so they'll ask for more. It's good that the president was strong against them but we would have to see how much the U.S. could put on the table and restrain the dictator," said Grace Jo, 26, another North Korean defector and college student studying biology.



"The Panmunjom summit was a beautiful and touching moment and it warmed our hearts," said Jo about South Korean President Moon Jae-in and Kim's meeting on April 27. "But we couldn't just look at it nicely because Kim's image may have changed 100% after that and people don't know the hidden side of Kim. So it's very sad. North Korea hasn't changed for the past 70-80 years. That one moment does not change what it is."



Jo escaped with her mother and her sister in 1998 when she was six years old. Her family lived in China for 10 years, hiding from government eyes, but she was sent back to North Korea twice. She later got United Nations protection and entered the U.S. in 2008 with a refugee status.



"As a North Korea defector, [I know that] whatever decision they make, the benefits go to the leaders and the Pyongyang's upper one percent elites. No support goes to the people. I do have hope but I know that it's not going to be met, so it's sad and upsetting."



Copyright  2018, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.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.The Franchise Association of South Africa's (Fasa) Awards for Excellence in Franchising held recently, saw health food brand Kauai walk off with multiple awards including the coveted title of Franchisor of the Year. The annual awards, sponsored by Sanlam, recognise the industry's top franchisors and franchisees, and their vital contribution towards job creation in the country.

Fasa Awards winners, left to right: CW & Stiaan Pieterse of Body20, winners of Franchisee of the Year; Lawrence Lindeque of Kauai, Field Service Consultant of the Year; Neo Matjila of Kauai, for Brand Builder of the Year; Guy Le Ray-Cook of Kauai, for Franchisor of the Year; and Akhona Qengqe of KFC, for the Job Creator of the Year Award.

Franchisor of the Year: Kauai

Franchisee of the Year: Body20, Brooklyn

Job Creator of the Year: KFC

Hall of Fame: Sorbet's Ian Fuhr

Fasa bestowed the prestigious Hall of Fame award to Ian Fuhr (left), entrepreneur and founder of the Sorbet brand of grooming stores.

Stimulating economic growth

Aside from being named Franchisor of the Year, Kauai also took the award for Brand Builder of the Year by establishing successful customer loyalty apps with key partners  such as through the 93 Virgin Active Health Clubs and through Discover Vitality and Discovery Insure  building their customer base, raising their brand awareness and boosting their bottom line.Kauai's field service consultant Lawrence Lindeque also won Field Service Consultant of the Year through the effective business monitoring and mentoring of the franchisees in his area, resulting in double-digit growth in all his stores.Not only have we had our best year in 22 years of trading with 25% year-on-year growth and 4% improvement on Net Profit percentage, but we have upped our game in introducing innovative communication strategies," says Guy Le Ray Cook, franchising executive for Kauai."From being the first to market with our new app that includes order ahead, loyalty and cashless payments adding a minimum of 5% additional overall sales in loyalty transactions, to introducing our K Konnect platform that allows everyone from kitchen staff to franchisees to get information and share day-to-day experiences on a live cell phone platform.Body20's Brooklyn, Pretoria branch scooped the Franchisee of the Year award. Fasa says Body20's 20-minute EMS (Electro Muscle Stimulation) weekly training has revolutionised how we keep in shape. The company is so confident that its EMS Studios will become one of the most influential fitness franchises, they are opening new studios in South Africa at a rate of almost one a month and have already broken into the USA market with success.Bertus Albertse, CEO of Body20, explains, Its a low-staffing business model, with fast break-evens and impressive returns  our 36 outlets in just over three years attests to that.KFC took the Job Creator of the Year Award. With 20,500 employees across 1,053 outlets, the fast food brand makes a notable contribution to job creation in the country. "If one adds the indirect jobs they create through their supplier network and partners, their contribution is compounded and to be lauded," adds Fasa. Ian Fuhr , the entrepreneur behind the Sorbet brand of beauty salons, was honoured for his contribution to the sector. He was credited for "redefining customers as guests and staff as citizens  putting service and support ahead of sales and profit."According to Fasa, "the culture he installed in his businesses is that if the service is excellent and the citizens feel validated and cared for... the money will automatically follow.South Africa is in dire need of economic growth, says Kobus Engelbrecht, marketing head, Sanlam Business Market. Franchising is an effective way to create new businesses as well as new employment opportunities that will stimulate this much needed economic growth. By recognising and rewarding outstanding performance in the franchise industry, we are building and promoting franchising as a business concept as well as an excellent career option.Vera Valasis, executive director of FASA, who has just returned from representing South Africa at the World Franchise Council reports that, whilst the effects of global economic turbulence is affecting some countries more than others, almost all report that franchising is still alive and well and making huge contributions in their respective economies and to franchising globally. As a global phenomenon, franchising remains one of the drivers of entrepreneurship, small business development and job creation.On the back of an impressive win at the PRISM Awards a few weeks back, DNA Brand Architects received another global recognition at the prestigious International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) Gold Quill Awards Gala, for their Steers Respek Nation campaign. The world's best business communicators gathered in Montreal Canada to celebrate excellence in strategic communication and to give kudos to communication campaigns that got the nod at this prestigious event.

For more than 40 years, IABCs Gold Quill Awards have recognised and awarded excellence in strategic communication worldwide. The Gold Quill Awards honour the dedication, innovation and passion of communicators on a global scale with a focus on achieving solid business outcomes.Only exceptional work earns an IABC Gold Quill Award, said Cindy Schmieg ABC, IABC Fellow, chair of the awards committee. Each entry is rigorously reviewed by multiple experienced communicators from around the world who are trained in applying IABCs Global Standard of the Communication Profession. The award winners represent our profession of ethical practitioners contributing to organisational outcomes.The groundbreaking Steers Respek Nation campaign took home the coveted Gold Quill Award of Excellence in Communication Management in the category of Customer Relations. The campaign, celebrated culture through an innovative collaboration with South Africas leading voice for urban culture. In celebration of the launch of the all new Rib King Burger, DNA Brand Architects partnered with the publication and curated a visual series that payed Respek to the countrys hottest emerging rappers ultimately driving a movement that became the brands most successful PR campaign ever.This marks the first time that the Johannesburg based agency founded by marketing maven Sylvester Chauke claims victory at this highly competitive award ceremony. In total, the awards committee selected 258 entries as world class, with 94 entries earning an Excellence Award and 164 earning a Merit Award. Winners came from all over the world and 13 countries made the award winners list including great wins from South Africa represented by the likes of Anglo Gold and DNA Brand Architects.It truly is an honour to be recognised among the worlds top brand communicators said DNA founder and Chief Architect Sylvester Chauke. DNA at its core is an organisation driven by the desire to make wow stuff happen for brands with an unstoppable hunger for greatness. We are privileged to work with clients like Steers who allow us to find innovative and impactful ways to resonate with their millennial consumers. he concluded.This year proved to be highly competitive with 700 entries reviewed by 250 evaluators who had this to say about the Steers Respek entry This entry took the brand on a journey of culture and community. It truly elevated a product promotion effort into a movement, said one evaluator.Wonderful use of primary research and digging beyond the initial aspects of marketing to millennial's. It is clear there is a thorough understanding of the target market and you can see the tactical executions used to speak to each aspect of the market. Concluded another evaluator.The Respek Nation campaign was led by a dynamic team of DNA Brand Architects including Associate Brand Architect Monare Matema, Brand Assistant Samantha Mabaso and Business Director Kutloano Dingaan.The Gold Quill Awards recognise business communication excellence globally. For more information on the Gold Quill Awards, including the full list of winners, on the Gold Quill Awards websiteSaluting and celebrating our clients

One of the greatest joys of being a PR practitioner is finding clients whose values are aligned with your own. At Grapevine Communications, we're delighted to be able to say that all of our clients tick this box: apart from the day to day operations which make them leaders in their various fields, many support interventions that are making a significant contribution to the South African community.

Wed like to take a moment to celebrate those initiatives.



For instance, lifestyle resort Steyn City  the beautiful 2000 acres in Johannesburgs far north - has established the Steyn City Foundation as a vehicle to drive development in the neighbouring community of Diepsloot, with a special focus on education. The foundation is funded by the companys shareholders, with 0.5% of annual turnover allocated for its projects.



Delivering Happiness to Diepsloot is the foundations flagship project. Every December, convoys of trucks depart from the lifestyle resort, on a mission to deliver schoolbags filled stationery and spoils to the children in neighbouring Diepsloot. The initiative has become a time-honoured tradition and a way of giving back to the community which supports the resort in so many ways.



Afrika Tikkun was established in 1995 by the late Chief Rabbi Cyril Harris and businessman/philanthropist Bertie Lubner. Since inception, the organisation has focused on upskilling youth in answer to the problem of youth unemployment in South Africa. This means it is uniquely positioned to respond to the call put forward by President Cyril Ramaphosa: Thuma Mina. The organisation has recently revised its approach: although still promoting a model of Cradle to Career development that ensures youth graduating from its programmes are equipped not only with the technical competencies, but also the social skills to excel in any workplace, it is now positioned to source talent for members of the business sector that are serious about job creation and ending youth unemployment. Under this new guise, it holds itself as accountable as any other corporate supplier  and is thus deepening its efforts to help youth not only just find jobs, but create careers.



One of the most exciting voices to have been featured on Beautiful News  a multimedia platform dedicated to promoting inspiring, uplifting South African stories  is that of hip hop rapper, Yugen Blakrok. Blakrok is fast becoming recognised as a warrior for Afrofuturism, a movement countering the dominant narratives that portray Africa as inferior or less than. Her music is not only a celebration of authenticity; it is also a triumphal tribute to South Africa and her people as she strives to make it known that South Africas story is not one of struggle, but one of overcoming.



Paula Galvao, founder of Eden Life Weight Loss Clinic (a clinic with a unique focus on the impact of biochemical imbalances as a source of weight gain), is gaining a reputation as a champion against discrimination in the workplace, with a special focus on overweight people. Having been overweight up until her mid-twenties, Paula is all too familiar with the challenges that accompany extra kilograms  all the more unjust because these are usually a product of insulin resistance, rather than overeating. Paula therefore fights not only to counter the perception of overweight people as lazy and lacking willpower; she also works alongside them to help create healthier lifestyle patterns and choices that are easily maintained. Her empathy and insight have made her a force for female empowerment, and a role model for many young South African women. She has also partnered with celebrities like Leanne Manas, PJ Powers and Tumisho Masha, guiding them on their weight loss or maintenance journey and helping them address related challenges. In so doing, she has helped to create a host of self -esteem heroes that ordinary South Africans can look up to.



The Swiss Arts Council Pro Helvetia Johannesburg's 2018 Winter Programme is set to feature artists and practitioners from five countries - Madagascar, Mozambique, Lesotho, South Africa, and Switzerland - in a lineup of interdisciplinary performances and exhibitions over June and July 2018 period. The programme is designed to advance creative innovation and develop cultural networks in celebration of two decades of artistic and cultural exchange between Switzerland and Southern Africa.

Ha Mais choreographed by Thomas Hauert - photo by Jorge Goncalves

Hamlet - photo by Donata Ettlin

Hildegard Learns To Fly - photo by Reto Andreoli

The Winter Programme features a selection of jazz, dance, contemporary art, and installations in an expansive web of venues designed to cultivate audiences, develop a cultural exchange, and connect communities. With a strong presence at the National Arts Festival in Grahamstown, Pro Helvetia's Winter Programme makes visible a distinguished track record of engagement in the Southern African region with an array of projects characterised by both challenge and surprise. In an effort to engage with a broad spectrum of audiences and offer those who cannot go to Grahamstown a chance to experience the festival in their own city, the Winter Programme travels these festival performances to Antananarivo, Maputo, Cape Town, King Williams Town, Durban, and Johannesburg.This year, Pro Helvetia's commitment to pushing the boundaries of creative expression and collaboration extends to the acclaimed International Symposium on Electronic Art in Durban. Combined with the Durban University of Technology Digital Festival and Innovate Durban's 2018 Innovation Festival, this hub of state-of-the-art industries positions creative technological innovation as an activist engagement into public space and public practice. This symbiotic relationship between science and art expands with the launch of Pro Helvetia's new art-science residency programme developed in partnership with the Artists in Labs unit at the Institute for Cultural Studies at the Zurich University of the Arts.The range of performances and exhibitions on offer combine to form a journey, offering a platform for exploration, discovery, and engagement for artists and audiences alike. With a focus on generating dialogue and interchange, the 2018 Winter Programme features a series of insightful workshops and panel discussions that blend to achieve greater creative development among communities.Pro Helvetia head Joseph Gaylard: "It is an honour for us to celebrate 20 years of the Swiss Arts Council Pro Helvetia in Johannesburg with our compelling array of partnerships and collaborations that come together to create a potent offering of some of the finest creative arts in the world."Our anniversary year provides an opportunity for us to recognise the significant impact of arts and culture in the SADC region through ambitious projects such as our Winter Programme that serves to collapse distance between communities and reinforce strong cultural ties across the region. This milestone allows us to reflect  with partners in Switzerland and the SADC region  on the role and position of creative alliances in ways that boost and strengthen the cultural landscape of Southern Africa," said Gaylard.Maxwell Magodla, the new general manager at Bantry Bay Suite Hotel has always been an ambitious person. Born and raised in Gugulethu, Cape Town, Magodla describes himself as innovative and driven. After completing a hotel management diploma at Intec College, Magodla went on to work at the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC), The President Hotel and Bantry Bay Suite Hotel.

Maxwell Magodla

You like to mentor younger fellow colleagues in the industry. Did you have a mentor or someone you looked up to and why?

What is the most valuable lesson you learned from this person?

The hospitality industry is the face of the country to the world and needs people that are excited to welcome all walks of life to their country.

What are some of the biggest lessons you would like to teach your mentees?

What are your thoughts on youth participation in the industry?

What are your plans for the future?

According to Magodla, the best choice he has made was becoming a mentor to his younger fellow colleagues: "It brings me joy to see people I have mentored, prosper and achieve their dreams, I too was them once upon a time..."We caught up with Magodla for Youth Month to find out more about the valuable lessons he has learnt from his own mentors and what he would like to impart on his mentees...I had the opportunity of working with different leadership throughout my career. I was very fortunate that later in my career Frank Gormley took an interest in my growth. Frank Gormley is my mentor. I also look up to Jeremey Clayton, the general manager of the President Hotel - what he is achieving at the President Hotel it is a great inspiration for me.Frank Gormley: Creating an opportunity for growth of others. Take every opportunity as a diamond, make use of it to the fullest. Count every challenge or problem as an opportunity to come up with a new solution. Problems are meant to grow you. Value all the members of your team  teamwork is the key. Being lazy should be a bigin your life  it will take you nowhere. Be honest, be eager to learn, love what you do, be passionate, have respect for everyone and be authentic.It needs to be emphasised that the hospitality industry is the face of the country to the world and needs people that are excited to welcome all walks of life to their country. It is one industry that can help the youth in their interpersonal skills, as the industry is made up of people from all backgrounds. To further learn about hotel business management and tourism business management at large. My dream is to own my own hotel and be involved in directing hotels. Giving back to the upcoming generation in the hospitality industry and sharing with them the skills I have and still am learning in my career.Heavy Chef launches new book for entrepreneurs

Heavy Chef and Xero have recently launched a book entitled The Heavy Chef Guide to Starting a Business in South Africa. The book is the first of many of these guides and is written by Heavy Chef founder and CEO Fred Roed, and published by Xero and Heavy Chef.

Image supplied.



The book includes 160 pages of startup tips, packed full of lessons gleaned from Roed on starting and exiting a successful business, as well as input from 'heavy chefs' that have spoken on the Heavy Chef events stage over the past decade. Here, Roed lets us in on what we can expect from the new book...



[Behind the Selfie] with... Fred Roed

What is Heavy Chef and what is your involvement in it? What is Heavy Chef and what is your involvement in it? The book includes 160 pages of startup tips, packed full of lessons gleaned from Roed on starting and exiting a successful business, as well as input from 'heavy chefs' that have spoken on the Heavy Chef events stage over the past decade. Here, Roed lets us in on what we can expect from the new book...

What inspired you to create a series of guidebooks for entrepreneurs and tell us more about the first book which you're about to launch. What inspired you to create a series of guidebooks for entrepreneurs and tell us more about the first book which you're about to launch.

Heavy Chef CEO and founder, Fred Roed.

What makes Heavy Chef's approach different to all those who came before? What makes Heavy Chef's approach different to all those who came before?

Heavy Chef is more a shared attitude than a demographic. We bridge the gap between billionaires and aspiring entrepreneurs living in underserved areas such as Khayelitsha.

Comment on the state of entrepreneurship in South Africa? Comment on the state of entrepreneurship in South Africa?

We also have too many accelerators and incubators serving too few startups. Heavy Chef led an immersion tour to Silicon Valley earlier this year. According to our friends over there, Silicon Valley has a tight-knit group of signature accelerators, serving around 60,000 startups. In comparison, we have around 1,200 startups with around 120 accelerators. We don't need more accelerators, we need more focus!

What are the biggest challenges with regards to starting a business in SA? What are the biggest challenges with regards to starting a business in SA?

Any other plans in the pipeline? Any other plans in the pipeline?

Juanita Pienaar's articles About Juanita Pienaar Juanita is the editor of the marketing & media portal on the Bizcommunity website. She is also a contributing writer.

Juanita is the editor of the marketing & media portal on the Bizcommunity website. She is also a contributing writer.

The name 'Heavy Chef' comes from the saying: "never trust a skinny chef". We celebrate 'doers': people who eat their own food. In a world of people who stare at screens, we believe it is the doers that will change it. At its core, Heavy Chef is a platform for entrepreneurs. We try and create magical learning experiences  real-life interactions with heavy chefs, in the form of events, workshops and tours.At Heavy Chef, we get inundated by people asking for advice on how to start a business. One of our partners, financial software company Xero, had the same challenge with its community. So, we decided to tackle it by creating an easy-to-read guidebook that could be digested in one sitting. The next book is focusing on financial management for startups. Then operations, HR, marketing and more...We've been stunned by the response of the first book. So much so, that our first print run has sold out and we've ordered a second printing of it. It will be available soon via the Heavy Chef website , and the za.xero.com Xero South Africa website There are a lot of similar, very cool initiatives out there. What sets us apart is that we both inspire and empower. Our methodology is: learn, do, share. So it's not just about absorbing the lessons, it's more about what you do after the lessons. Then we encourage our constituents to share their learnings.I believe our tone is also different. We're irreverent, accessible, informative and credible. Our tone, I've been told, is a unique combination of humility and ambition. Moreover, we're not exclusive or preclusive.Our goal is to create a platform that inspires and empowers anyone with the dream of creating their own business, company initiative, organisation or side project. Whether the person is an established business person or an emerging talent, Heavy Chef is a welcoming place.I believe we have an incredible latent potential. South Africa has extraordinary challenges and our entrepreneurs have the ability to solve many of them.That said, we have a long way to go. There are several blockages that need to be removed before we can fully realise this potential. One is the government support that is still minuscule for the SME sector. There are initiatives like the SA SME Fund, CEO Initiative fund and organisations like CiTi that are promising, but it's not enough. We need cohesion in our sector, with these organisations talking to each other.I hope that Heavy Chef will play a part in making that happen.Lastly, there is a psychological problem with emerging entrepreneurs that we don't have the ability to crack a global market. That needs to stop. Having met hundreds of startup founders around the world through Heavy Chef, I sincerely believe we have the talent to change the world, and yes, we can do that from down here on the tip of Africa.Look, starting a business is hard anywhere, but it's getting easier with all the cloud-based tools available to us  I talk a lot about that in the book. My feeling is that the support network is too fragmented. There is no direct route to funding and it's tough to support yourself while getting the business off the ground.If we can take that challenge off the table, supporting the entrepreneur while he is getting started at a more micro level, it will change our world. It's easier said than done though. We need more micro business, seed funding initiatives, with support for the individuals on the technical challenges of the startup phase.Yes, we're launching more books and workshops to support our community with those technical challenges. We're working on getting funding for those who cannot afford the R1,480 workshop fee we charge.We also have our YouTube channel which we're excited about. It's calledand involves our presenters taste-testing the raw ingredients of raw talents, shot in a series of raw videos. You can check it out at HeavyChef.com/Raw , but note that it's in seriously early stages so you'll have to excuse the dodgy sound and shaky camera work! We're getting better though, and we're proud of the progress we're making  we believe that video storytelling is critical to Heavy Chef's future.The Unstereotype Alliance launched at Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity last year and has just joined Twitter. The World Federation of Advertisers has also released a guide that makes the social and business case for 'unstereotyping' ads. Here's why you need to download, absorb and implement it, now!

UN Believes Advertisers Can Bring Gender Equality https://t.co/AqZsACy3vh  Pelle Sjoenell (@pellesjoenell) June 24, 2017

No country in the world has achieved gender equality, even though we have big initiatives and laws passed Changing laws didn't do much to change cultural norms. Advertising has skill in behaviour change.

A big, brave, progressive play from Unilever. Will it still sell deodorant? I hope so. Time will tell #UNSTEROTYPE https://t.co/qYVq1EcfAd  emmetohanlon (@emmetohanlon) August 3, 2016

Fascinating talk by Debra Mallowah on gender stereotyping in ads and films. #Unsterotype #loeries2016 pic.twitter.com/6GNDsKxD6W  #GoliathX2018 (@DonovanGoliath) August 19, 2016

[Mallowah's] assertion was that advertising is the business of shaping perceptions, so when advertisers perpetuate gender stereotypes, theyre holding society back.

#Unstereotype the workplace, unstereotype ads

Obsessed with #unsterotype and wish more of the industry would follow - thank you @keithweed and @unilever #mumstock17   AvraInLondon (@AvraInLondon) April 26, 2017

"Our industry needs to be brave enough to depict society in a realistic way rather than reinforce potentially harmful stereotypes." WFA President @dwheld | Download our guide to progressive gender portrayals in advertising: https://t.co/X8ETrxbfND #Unstereotype pic.twitter.com/Ykwax0pVXU  WFA (@wfamarketers) June 6, 2018

Weve started to see real progress,s but it doesnt yet go far enough or wide enough. Our job wont be done as long as ads still diminish or limit the role of women and men in society.

We know that harmful stereotypes of both women and men have a deep impact on how we see and treat each other. Intentionally changing those images has huge potential to positively transform our culture and bring us closer to true, inclusive equality This change will help us to collectively realise the promise of the Sustainable Development Goals  to leave no one behind.

"Addressing gender stereotypes is only the first step..." WFA CEO @Stephan_Lo makes the case for unstereotyping ads: https://t.co/YWuhGMhivI #Unstereotype pic.twitter.com/boYsr3vElw  WFA (@wfamarketers) June 7, 2018

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The topic of unsterotyping advertising and using lazy gender troped keeps popping up where creativity is celebrated, but it's sadly not mainstream just yet. Perhaps the fact that the Unsterotype Alliance has finally joined Twitter will sway the movement over social media.Global brand Unilever popularised the hashtag in 2016 and it was the focus of a special report during the 2017 Cannes Lions, where the yellow Unsterotype Alliance flag flew high, with AdAge reporting that, The UN believes ads can turn the tide in long-losing war for gender equality.explained that the UN Women was effectively convening a Security Council of the ad industry, when the Unstereotype Alliance programme kicked off in Cannes, with the idea that advertising can do what more than two decades of UN proclamations, local laws and good intentions haven't -- spur real progress on gender issues. SAs own Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, executive director of UN Women, added:With support from other global brands, including Procter & Gamble, Mars, Diageo, Johnson & Johnson and Mattel, Aline Santos, senior VP marketing at Unilever, said at the time that having left all Axe's lad humour behind, theyve since found that ads without stereotypes have considerably better results.It's also been a hot topic locally, at the Loeries Festival of Creativity, when FCB global CCO Susan Credle interviewed Debra Mallowah, VP of personal care at Unilever Africa, for our readers.Mallowah proved to be one of the years most popular DStv Seminar of Creativitys speakers, "drawing cheers and even tears," when sharing the brands message that the move to #Unstereotype advertising is good for brands and consumers alike.Editor Lauren Hartzenberg reported at the time:And the message didnt end there.Unilever remains one of the most vocal brands on the topic, having gone on to urge world leaders to unstereotype the workplace and recognise that stereotypes, social norms and unconscious bias are contributing to the ever-widening gender gap, following their commissioned research into the importance of The Unstereotyped Mindset.Now, making the message easier to absorb in 2018, Unstereotype Alliance founding member the World Federation of Advertisers has released a downloadable guide that includes real-life case studies and actionable tips to take the movement forward.The guide covers typical sterotypes that exist for both men and women in advertising, with clear steps to start unstereotyping your workplace and make the mindshift, in order to start thinking differently in your advertising and marketing massaging, and ensure more progressive gender portrayals.Unilever's chief marketing and communications officer Keith Weed commented on the launch of the WFAs guide:Mlambo-Ngcuka, adds:And yes, this is only this first step Click here to download the WFA launches Guide to Progressive Gender Portrayals in Advertising.Former special forces operative Wade Wilson, known as Deadpool, is currently the world's most loved anti-hero.

Deadpool 2 trailer. Screengrab from

Breaking the Fourth Estate wall

Hijacking popular culture

Tongue-in-cheek third-party endorsement

Newsjacking a singing contest

Pick a major news story thats being covered by most media outlets (think election results, a big sports event, or a controversial story, etc.)

Create content related to the news story that aligns with your knowledge and business.

Send the story to relevant media outlets.

His sharp wit is matched only by his aim. The character, played by Ryan Reynolds, is irreverent - poking fun at popular culture, celebrities, and even the comic universe, breaking character (something that is usually frowned upon) to take aim at other big franchises.The same irreverence found in the Deadpool movies characterised the marketing around the second instalment in the series.Here is what we as communications professionals can learn from how Deadpool 2 was marketed:Granted its not mainstream media but when Deadpool made an appearance on the Late Show, interrupting Stephen Colberts monologue, it was marketing gold. Funny, charming and just a little risque, Deadpool was speaking straight to his audience, deftly blurring the lines between fiction and reality.The lesson here is that sometimes we need to think of other ways of reaching audiences through the news.eNCA took a novel approach to breaking the Fourth Estate wall just this month with leading political figures being given the opportunity to host an hour of news and grill members of the media and others about the days events.In some cases it was highly successful, for example, the exchange between the Peoples Bae Dr Mbuyiseni Ndlozi and former Business Day editor, Peter Bruce.In other cases it was less so; General Bantu Holomisas disastrous monologue about fish.But the point is millions of people tuned in to see what would happen. Maybe its time consultants started thinking about different, but authentic ways to land in the media space, other than just selling stories.In the week preceding its Northern Hemisphere launch Deadpool started photobombing iconic film covers. People flocked to buy the collectors items  and the mainstream media went crazy with coverage of the guerrilla marketing tactic.There are two lessons here. The first is it is okay to break the rules (but not the law!). In fact, it should be encouraged.The second is sometimes the simplest ideas are the best. No bells and whistles here, just some Deadpool printouts and a night of replacing covers. Genius.In the first Deadpool movie, Ryan Reynolds character has some less than flattering things to say about David Beckhams voice. The marketing team at Deadpool realised the power of partnering with Beckham  one of the worlds biggest brands himself  and produced a funny short film in which Deadpool visits Beckham in his London home begging for forgiveness.The lesson is obvious. Brand synergies and partnerships can go a long way in helping you reach wider audiences and attracting new brand fans. Beckham has 49 million Instagram followers and 53 million likes on Facebook, where, incidentally, you can see the Deadpool video.Eurovision is a big deal in, you guessed it, Europe; so why the uproar about Canada not being part of the 2018 version of the song contest? Because this year they let in Australia but snubbed Canada. Cue this hilarious video from the Deadpool marketing team:Newsjacking is not a new thing in communications. Its a technique brands use to insert themselves into the biggest news stories of the moment, even though there is absolutely no causal link.Here are the three basic steps of newsjacking:In this case, the team chose to use YouTube as its media outlet, but this didnt make it any less impactful and in the end, the story was picked up organically by mainstream media.These are just some of the clever marketing techniques I picked up in the run-up to the release of. Others included a fake Tinder account, a fake LinkedIn account and appearing in a Celine Dion video.If you want to read more about the campaign you can check out this piece by The Verge Deadpool 2s marketing proves that PR and communications doesnt always have to be serious to be effective. It also highlights the importance of being authentic to the brand. The marketing teams for Ironman, The Avengers or Batman or Superman would not have been able to get away with this kind of silliness.Deadpool hits the target, right in the bullseye.Reciba en su email: noticias de ultima hora, analisis tecnicos o el cierre de mercado

Email no valido Nombre requerido Recibira las informaciones mas relevantes del dia en tiempo real Que informacion desea recibir? Noticias de Ultima hora Boletin Cierre de Mercado Boletin analisis tecnico Boletin Fundsnews Debe seleccionar un tipo de boletin Acepto la Politica de privacidad Debe aceptar la politica de privacidad Responsable EMPRESAS DEL GRUPO WEB FINANCIAL GROUP Finalidad La remision de informacion, novedades y promociones Establecimiento o mantenimiento de Relaciones Comerciales. Legitimacion Consentimiento del interesado. Interes legitimo en el desarrollo de la relacion comercial Destinatario Empresas del Grupo WEB FINANCIAL GROUP Derechos Acceso, rectificacion, supresion, limitacion, oposicion y portabilidad Informacion adicional Politica de Privacidad de nuestra pagina Web + INFORMACIONCanada NewsWire

QUEBEC CITY, June 10, 2018

QUEBEC CITY, June 10, 2018 /CNW/ - As the 2018 G7 President, Canada put forward a progressive agenda that reflects our values and ambitions. This week, G7 leaders met in the Charlevoix region of Quebec to find real, concrete solutions to pressing global challengesthe type of solutions that will make a real difference in the lives of people in our countries and around the world.

At the Summit, G7 leaders talked about investing in economic growth that works for everyone and preparing people for the jobs of the future. They reaffirmed their commitment to advance gender equality, defend their democracies against foreign threats, and build a more peaceful and secure world. They also discussed climate change, oceans, and clean energy.

Yesterday, Canada, along with the European Union, Germany, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the World Bank, announced an investment of nearly $3.8 billion CAD to support quality education for women and girls living in crisis, conflict-affected and fragile states. This funding represents the single largest investment of its kind in history. In the fight for greater equality, education is keyit gives women and girls the tools they need to make their own decisions about their future and live the life they want for themselves.

Throughout the Summit, leaders discussed the future of the economy and their shared responsibility to create sustainable economic growth that works for everyone, particularly those at risk of being left behind. They endorsed the Charlevoix Commitment on Equality and Economic Growth, which reinforces a common commitment to fight poverty, achieve gender equality, reduce income inequality, and ensure better access to financial resources so that everyone has a chance to earn a decent living. They also committed to build a common vision for the future of artificial intelligence and to champion innovative financing that supports international development and reinforces gender equality and women's empowerment.

G7 leaders discussed how to tackle climate change, and the importance of investing in clean energy, and protecting our oceans and coastal communities. Recognizing that plastics pose a significant threat to our oceans, five countries have agreed to the Oceans Plastics Charter, which speaks to our common resolve to eradicate plastic pollution. This is a positive step for the environment and for businesses that will benefit from reducing the cost associated with plastic use. Building on this initiative, Canada will invest $100 million to rid our oceans of global marine litter and plastic pollution.

G7 leaders agreed to the Charlevoix Blueprint for Healthy Oceans, Seas and Resilient Coastal Communities, which will promote sustainable oceans and fisheries, and support resilient coasts and coastal communities. Canada will invest $162 million to support these goals, and preserve the health and resilience of our oceans and coasts.

To build a more peaceful and secure world, leaders committed to take strong action in response to foreign actors who seek to undermine our democratic societies and institutions, our electoral processes, and our sovereignty. G7 leaders agreed to establish a G7 rapid response mechanism, which will strengthen coordination among our countries to identify and respond to these diverse and evolving threats. Through this initiative, G7 countries will share information and analysis, and identify new opportunities where we can work together to defend our democracies.

As leaders, we will ensure all workers have access to the skills and education they need to adapt and prosper in our rapidly changing global economy. In particular, we will expand training and education programs for women and girls in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), to ensure that we build a forward-looking economy for future generations.

On the margins of the G7 Summit, the Prime Minister also met with several world leaders and the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, to promote increased cooperation and collaboration on global issues of mutual concern. They discussed gender equality, climate change, peace and security, as well as economic growththemes that were at the forefront of Canada's G7 Presidency.

Canada hopes that this year's G7 marks the start of a new tradition where gender equality will continue to be a cross-cutting theme of G7 presidencies. In the coming months and years, we must continue to work together to spur innovation, put people first, and deliver growth that works for everyone. Together, the leaders have a real opportunity to improve the lives of their citizens and build stronger communities and economies. The discussions they had over the past two days will help address some of the world's most pressing challenges, and Canada looks forward to continue working with its partners to deliver meaningful solutions for people around the world.

Quote"We are facing pressing social, economic and environmental challenges that transcend all borders. Only by working together will we find the innovative solutions we need to deliver meaningful results to people around the world. Canada is committed to working with other countries to fight inequalities, create economic growth that benefits everyone, and leave a better, healthier planet for future generations."The Rt. Hon. Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada

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WORCESTER, Mass. and SHANGHAI, June 10, 2018

WORCESTER, Mass. and SHANGHAI, June 10, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- WuXi Biologics (2269.HK), a leading global open-access biologics technology platform company offering end-to-end solutions for biologics discovery, development and manufacturing, today announced that it is to invest $60 million and hire approximately 150 employees to establish a state-of-the-art biologics clinical and commercial manufacturing facility in Worcester, Massachusetts in the United States. The facility will be WuXi Biologics' 11th global drug substance manufacturing facility (MFG11).

WuXi Biologics is a leading global platform company providing end-to-end solutions for biologics with a mission to accelerate and transform biologics discovery, development and manufacturing to benefit patients around the world.

This state-of-the-art "facility of the future" will be built upon the novel approach that WuXi Biologics has pioneered in deploying single-use bioreactors. It is also designed to run continuous bioprocessing, a next-generation manufacturing technology to be implemented in America for the first time. A total of approximately 4,500 L bioreactor capacity will be installed with two 2,000 L traditional fed-batch and one 500 L perfusion-based continuous processing. This facility will handle both clinical and small volume commercial production. An early-stage bioprocess development lab will also be included.

The new manufacturing facility supported by the Government of Massachusetts, the Worcester Business Development Corporation (WBDC) and the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center (MLSC), is the Company's first overseas site in the United States, as well as the third outside China subsequent to Ireland and Singapore new sites.

"Massachusetts is home to one of the world's most dynamic life sciences ecosystems, with leading companies, top-tier academic institutions, and a globally-competitive workforce," said Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker. "We are enriched when companies grow and invest here and are pleased to welcome WuXi Biologics' expansion."

"Having met WuXi Biologics' leaders during their recent trip to Worcester, I am confident that they will contribute greatly to the city's life sciences industry," said Ms. Karyn Polito, Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts. "I have been pleased to work on the development of Worcester Biomanufacturing Park and our Administration remains committed to supporting our public private partnership."

"The City of Worcester is thrilled to welcome WuXi Biologics as its first tenant to the new Biomanufacturing Park," said Worcester City Manager, Edward M. Augustus Jr.. "As a growing destination in the global biomedical market, the city looks forward to officially opening this impressive campus and is eager to host WuXi Biologics in their first US manufacturing facility."

"We are delighted that WuXi Biologics has chosen the United States, Massachusetts, but most importantly Worcester. We competed very hard for this one and we prevailed. The Baker / Polito Administration and the City of Worcester stepped up to make this possible. Another great day for Worcester," said Mr. Craig L. Blais, President and CEO of WBDC.

"We are excited to reach this important milestone on developing WuXi Biologics' first US bio-manufacturing facility and to announce their intention to move to Worcester," said Mr. Travis McCready, President and CEO of MLSC. "WuXi Biologics brings a global biologics manufacturing expertise that will enhance our life sciences ecosystem and help Massachusetts biopharma companies develop novel therapies quickly and efficiently. We look forward to continuing to work to finalize this project."

"Metropolitan Boston is acknowledged as a leader in the biopharmaceutical industry. The new site plays a key role in WuXi Biologics' global bio-manufacturing network to ensure that biologics are manufactured at the highest quality and within a robust supply chain to benefit patients worldwide. We are grateful for all the support local agencies and the talented people here have provided for us. We believe we can quickly push forward this exciting project," said Dr. Ge Li, Chairman of WuXi Biologics.

Dr. Chris Chen, CEO of WuXi Biologics, added, "The new site will undoubtedly meet WuXi Biologics' growing need for biologics development and manufacturing in the near future. Many partners of WuXi Biologics are located within two hours of this new site. We are all very excited to initiate our first US site to enable local companies and expedite biologics development in the United States. We are committed to becoming the most comprehensive capability and technology platform in the global biologics industry to enable both local and global partners."

About WuXi Biologics

WuXi Biologics, a Hong Kong-listed company, is the only open-access biologics technology platform in the world offering end-to-end solutions to empower organizations to discover, develop and manufacture biologics from concept to commercial manufacturing. Our company history and achievements demonstrate our commitment to providing a truly ONE-stop service offering and value proposition to our global clients. For more information on WuXi Biologics, please visit www.wuxibiologics.com.

View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/wuxi-biologics-to-invest-60-million-to-establish-a-biologics-production-facility-in-the-united-states-300663781.html

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Liu Zhen/China News Service/VCG via Getty Images(SENTOSA ISLAND, Singapore) -- President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's historic meeting will begin with a one-on-one encounter, a White House official confirmed to reporters in Singapore Monday.



The official declined to say how long the first meeting is expected to last, but said it will take place prior to an expanded meeting where U.S. and North Korean officials would be in attendance.



Diplomats and foreign policy experts have criticized the idea of a U.S. president sitting down solo with the North Korean dictator, saying it heightens the potential for a misleading readout from Kim that could come into conflict with Trump's account of the exchange.



Secretary of State Pompeo briefed reporters in Singapore Monday evening, painting an optimistic picture of progress achieved between the U.S. and North Korean delegations leading up to Tuesday's summit.



"The talks continue this afternoon even as we sit here now," Pompeo said. "They're in fact moving quite rapidly and we anticipate they will come to logical conclusion even more quickly than we had anticipated."



Pompeo also sought to dismiss media reports that the U.S. currently lacks the necessary expertise to coordinate the full dismantling of North Korea's nuclear program.



With less than 24 hours until his historic face-to-face encounter with Kim, Trump spent his Monday in Singapore fuming on Twitter over his weekend trade spat with G-7 allies and paying a visit to Singapore's prime minister.



The president kicked off his first full day in Singapore with a tweet acknowledging the "excitement in the air" surrounding the summit.



But that message was just one in a series of five other tweets that doubled down on the president's escalating trade feud with Canada and European allies who were in attendance at the G-7 summit over the weekend.



The president's tweets followed Sunday show appearances by his top economic aides Sunday who assailed Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for comments he made in a press conference following the president's early departure from the G-7 summit.



"I have made it very clear to the president that it is not something we relish doing," Trudeau said, speaking of his decision to implement retaliatory tariffs against the U.S. "But it is something that we absolutely will do because Canadians, we're polite, we're reasonable, but we also will not be pushed around."



Despite the comments being largely a repeat of previously expressed concerns by Trudeau, they earned a furious rebuke from both the president and his advisors, who quickly pulled the U.S. away from endorsing a joint statement released by rest of the G-7 allies.



Director of the National Economic Council Larry Kudlow went as far as to suggest Trudeau was attempting to specifically undermine Trump and damage his negotiating position ahead of his summit with Kim.



"He is not going to allow other people to suddenly take potshots at him hours before that summit," Kudlow said on CBS' Face the Nation. "And, number two, Trudeau should have known better."



White House trade adviser Peter Navarro took it even further, saying, "there's a special place in hell for any foreign leader that engages in bad faith diplomacy with President Donald J. Trump and then tries to stab him in the back on the way out the door."



The rhetoric earned stiff rebukes from other G-7 attendees.



"International co-operation cannot be dictated by fits of anger and throwaway remarks," a spokesperson from France's Elysee Palace said Sunday.



President of the European Council Donald Tusk tweeted, "There is a special place in heaven for Justin Trudeau."



The feud threatened to overshadow one of the most highly anticipated diplomatic meetings in recent memory, as the president spent his first full day in Singapore with a relatively light public schedule.



The president first visited Istana Palace for a meeting with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, who he thanked in brief remarks for being able to host the major summit.



We appreciate your hospitality and professionalism and friendship, Trump said, seated at a long banquet table ahead of a working lunch with delegations from the U.S. and Singapore.



Trump called the prime minister a friend and said this was a choice that we made very consciously.



He teased forward to Tuesdays "very interesting meeting and predicted a good outcome.



Weve got a very interesting meeting in particular tomorrow. I think things could work out very nicely, he said.



Following the lunch, Singapore's Minister for Foreign Affairs Vivian Balakrishnan tweeted out a picture showing the president was gifted with a birthday cake. Trump will celebrate his 72nd birthday on Thursday.



Copyright  2018, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.The following are police reports from Bristol, Lower Makefield and Newtown townships. Bristol Township BURGLARY >> Maryland Avenue, Croydon, on Oct. 11 at 10:04 a.m. Sometime between Oct. 4 and 12 an unknown subject(s) used forced entry into a vacant residence. The subject(s) stole approximately 20 pounds of copper. The estimated value is $120. THEFT >> .Ford Road, Bristol, on...Minority and women entrepreneurship program at UB seeks candidates

The program is an excellent opportunity for minority and women entrepreneurs to forge relationships, be mentored, network and get technical advice about running their businesses. 

BUFFALO, N.Y.  The University at Buffalo School of Management's Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership (CEL) will host an information session for individuals interested in learning more about the 2019 Allstate Minority and Women Emerging Entrepreneurs (MWEE) program.

Women and minority business owners are encouraged to attend the open house from 8-10 a.m. on June 20 at the UB Educational Opportunity Center (Conference Room), 555 Ellicott St. in Buffalo.

Edward Tierney, program facilitator, and Alex Cleary Pelc, senior program coordinator, will provide an overview of the program and answer any questions.

To register for the information session, send an email to mgt-cel@buffalo.edu or call 716-885-5715.

The MWEE program is a joint venture by the UB School of Management's Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership and the UB Center for Urban Studies. The mission of the program is to construct a pathway that enables these entrepreneurs to move their companies to the next stage of development.

"The program is an excellent opportunity for minority and women entrepreneurs to forge relationships, be mentored, network and get technical advice about running their businesses, says Thomas Ulbrich, CEL executive director. It also helps them develop clear objectives and business strategies to achieve them.

Participants in the nine-month, fee-based MWEE program are women and members of recognized minorities whose Buffalo-Niagara region businesses are still in the fledgling stages of growth.

Initiated in 2004, the program is modeled after the CELs Core program, which enhances the management abilities of business leaders, the profitability of their firms and the development of business relationships through an expanded network of contacts.

A key feature of the MWEE program is the protege/mentor collaboration between MWEE participants and CEL Core graduates. This relationship gives MWEE participants the unique opportunity to develop a plan to advance their business and learn related skills in partnership with successful business leaders in the region. It also introduces them to a support network from which they will benefit for years to come.

In addition to the benefits to individual entrepreneurs, by providing opportunities to bolster the development of their companies, the program helps to create viable and sustainable businesses in Western New York, strengthening the economy of the region.

The Allstate Corporation supports the program through The Allstate Foundation, which provides philanthropic grants to nonprofit organizations whose programs fit within specified criteria for community development; tolerance, inclusion and diversity; and economic empowerment.

Established in 1987, the Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership in the University at Buffalo School of Management provides participants with individualized and interactive education in entrepreneurship. More than 1,400 CEL alumni employ more than 23,000 Western New Yorkers, and their businesses are worth more than $2.3 billion to the local economy. For more information, visit mgt.buffalo.edu/cel.Campus News

SACRA teaches underemployed students high-demand skills rooted in craftsmanship

Inside a former church in Buffalo's historic Allentown neighborhood, the SACRA program is giving underemployed, underrepresented participants a fresh start by teaching them skills in construction arts and design. Photo: Douglas Levere. See more photos.

By DAVID J. HILL

Its a program that uses the arts to talk about issues of design, artistic excellence and construction in a more holistic way.  Dennis Maher, founder and director Society for the Advancement of Construction-Related Arts

When she came to Buffalo from Texas two years ago, Donna Neiberline had no experience with making things. She only knew the world of fast food and serving. A screwdriver was probably the only tool I ever used, she says. Now, Neiberline is the proud owner of a circular saw  and she knows how to use it, among other tools. Roofing was the only world native Buffalonian Anthony Lidge ever knew. He wanted to branch out and learn new skills to broaden his job opportunities. Now, he can tell you all about working with wood, from the best type to use for a project, to how to manipulate it. The next time he works on a house, he wont have to start at the top. Being here taught me how to build a house from the ground up, he says. Neiberline and Lidge are among the graduates of the spring term of a program called the Society for the Advancement of Construction-Related Arts, or SACRA. Its a collaboration between the Albright-Knox Art Gallerys Innovation Lab and Assembly House 150, an organization founded by artist and UB architecture professor Dennis Maher, whose work has been exhibited around the globe. The program began last fall out of Assembly House 150s headquarters inside the former Immaculate Conception Church in Buffalo.

Programs mission rooted in Buffalos architectural history

SACRA aims to transform Buffalos future by educating students about the citys architectural past, whether it be delving into a book on classical architecture, or taking a walking tour of Victorian homes in Buffalos historic Allentown neighborhood. Meanwhile, as the program graduates more students, SACRA will infuse the regions workforce with skilled craftspeople who can contribute to a range of construction jobs, including the growing number of historic preservation projects happening throughout Buffalo. There is such a legacy of artistic and design excellence in much of the architecture in Buffalo. We want to graduate students who can contribute to bolstering that culture of contemporary craftsmanship excellence, both from a design and a making standpoint, says Maher, who co-directs the program with Russell Davidson, manager of the Innovation Lab at the Albright-Knox Art Gallery. We are seeing more restoration projects as the citys housing stock ages, but there is a lack of trained workers for those projects, adds SACRA Program Coordinator Alexandra Johnston, who holds a dual degree in architecture and art history from Yale and is a founding member of the SACRA Advisory Council. Neiberline sees SACRA as an opportunity to find jobs that will enable her to work with her hands. The program has taught her skills she can employ both in the workforce and in her own home. Ive learned something new here pretty much every day, she says. Even the first project we did  we made sawhorses  that was the first thing Id ever built. Being able to finish something and say I made this was a good feeling. Before, I never would have thought I could do that, and now it seems kind of simple. That feeling, Maher says, is the driving force behind SACRA. Its so rewarding to see their confidence build and the pride that comes from visitors entering our space and saying, Wow, this work is amazing. Students are referred to SACRA through Erie Countys Department of Social Services. The 15-week program is offered in the fall and spring, with last Septembers group serving as the inaugural class. The spring group graduates on June 6 with a ceremony at Assembly House 150. Its a chance to celebrate the students accomplishments since February, while showcasing some of the projects theyve worked on.

Signature piece for new workforce training center

One of the spring groups signature pieces will be prominently on display inside the Northland Workforce Training Center, a $44 million hub that is expected to open later this summer. The project is a 40-by-17-foot decorative wooden wall that will be installed in the training center lobby, for all visitors to see. The decorative wall began with a basic mapping of the city of Buffalo. Then, students began to build special components that focused on different joinery conditions or aspects of detailing and inlay. They combined those pieces with wooden-molded relics from the former Niagara Machine and Tool Works, the more than century-old building that is the site of the new training center. In a sense, every project inside Assembly House 150 begins as a seed that grows into something larger. For example, Quarter House  a two-story construction that includes components of traditional Victorian architecture  began as an exercise in basic house framing before moving into wainscoting, stairs and windows. The idea was that each phase in the construction of the house became part of the curriculum, Maher says. Everything in here is an opportunity to teach a skill or technique. Earlier this month, Quarter House was appropriated as a stage for an event featuring Eva Franch i Gilabert, director of the Storefront for Art and Architecture in New York City. Maher, a clinical assistant professor in the School of Architecture and Planning, often involves his UB students in Assembly House 150 projects. For example, with Cabinet Cabinet Cabinet, Mahers graduate students explored the work of renowned 18th century English furniture maker Thomas Chippendale by designing and building a collaborative cabinet that examined some of the themes of Chippendales work.

Not a traditional vocational programNMBS has launched an app to help delegates make the most of attending its 2018 All-Industry Conference, which starts on Thursday.

The new app is available for both iOS and Android mobile devices and contains event details such as daily itineraries, speaker topics, biogs and times, and a map of the conference venue - the Grand Hotel Dino, Baveno - with the location of specific events and activities clearly marked.

The app's other functionality includes the ability to view delegates' profiles and message them, save their contact details and arrange meetings with them. Delegates can also access documentation, such as speaker handouts, and make notes on them before emailing them as saveable files.

In addition, NMBS will use the app throughout the conference to send out messages and updates, keeping delegates informed of events and developments.

Sam Hunt, events manager at NMBS, said: "NMBS has always had an active commitment to embracing technology to enhance the service we offer to our members and suppliers, and ultimately the success and effectiveness of our operations.

"The development of our new NMBS Conference 2018 app reflects that ethos and also adds to a track record which includes being an early adopter of EDI technology to lower our operating costs and of web based systems such as the NMBS Report Centre to ensure more streamlined methods of working.

"Given the growing attendance and complexity of the NMBS All-Industry Conference, the new app will prove invaluable in helping delegates to make the most of what promises to be another highly valuable and beneficial, business-focused event."

To download the app, visit the Apple App Store or Google Play and search for NMBS Conference 2018.President Shavkat Mirziyoyevs visit to Washington was historic, being the first official visit of an Uzbek president since 2002. Mirziyoyevs reception, and the breadth and width of agreements signed, constitute an acknowledgement of the reform process in Uzbekistan, as well as of the countrys newfound regional role and in particular its constructive approach to resolving the problem of Afghanistan. Washingtons engagement in these efforts will further improve the prospects of success in Uzbekistans domestic reforms and regional initiatives.

BACKGROUND: The official visit of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Shavkat Mirziyoyev, to the United States of America in May 2018 has been characterized as historic. Indeed, the Uzbek leaders meetings at the White House, Congress, with key departments, major corporations and international financial institutions indicate that this visit brought significant results.

President Mirziyoyev received a warm welcome in Washington, being accompanied with the highest level of Diplomatic protocol and being accorded significant time by U.S. President Donald Trump. Following the negotiations conducted in Washington DC, the two Presidents issued a Joint Declaration, The United States and Uzbekistan: Launching a New Era of Strategic Partnership. A package of documents was signed during the visit, to include protocols to enlarge bilateral trade relations and cooperation in higher education and academic research, agricultural industry and energy. A memorandum of understanding was signed to establish cooperation in Uzbekistans bid to join the World Trade Organization (WTO) and to organize a Central Asian Trade Forum in 2018 in Tashkent. Another Memorandum was signed between Uzbekistans National Bank of Foreign Economic Activity and the U.S. Export-Import Bank to finance cooperative projects. Corporations of the two countries signed more than 20 large contracts estimated to be worth $4.8 billion. In the sphere of security, the U.S. and Uzbekistan agreed on a five-year plan in defense and military affairs targeted at consolidation of peace and stabilization in the region.

At the World Bank headquarters, World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim praised Uzbekistans reform process and loan agreements for $940 million were signed, with the purpose of financing project in energy efficiency, horticulture, and emergency medical services. The total World Bank engagement up to 2020 includes 27 significant projects, with a total worth exceeding $4 billion. In addition, an agreement on consulting services was signed with International Financial Corporation (IFC), focused on improving public-private partnerships to attract private investors to Uzbekistan.

IMPLICATIONS: The visits significance stems only in part from the impressive array of agreements concluded. On a deeper level, it constitutes the U.S. acknowledgment of immense progress being done in Uzbekistan in the past two years; consolidates Uzbekistans reputation as a country with a consistent and constructive foreign policy; and shows the value of Uzbekistans approach to regional affairs, particularly Afghanistan.

Since coming to power, the new Uzbek president has launched wide-scale reforms in almost all spheres of life, focused on improving governance, raising the international status of the country, and providing a positive business and investment climate. This has added impetus to the heartening signs of positive political dynamics and a newfound drive for regional cooperation in Central Asia. Uzbekistans far-reaching program to reform and modernize the state  what one American scholar called Extreme Makeover: Central Asia Edition are at the heart of this region-wide process.

Even so, any internal reforms can be self-defeating in the event of serious external impediments. Therefore, a friendly relationship with all of the worlds leading powers  including Russia, China and the U.S.  is crucial for Uzbekistans prospects of success. Even though close ties with Moscow and Beijing are a given as a result of geographical proximity, Washington remains a global leader that Tashkent seeks to engage, and a natural ally to any country undergoing fundamental reforms. This explains the significance of the strong support the U.S. expressed for Mirziyoyevs reform program, of the U.S. recognition of Uzbekistans increasingly important role as an economic leader, and of American assistance in achieving WTO membership. The implementation of the agreements signed in Washington will create a solid foundation for the development of new opportunities to improve Uzbek-American cooperation in trade, investment and economic activity. As the holder of significant advantages in innovation and high technology, the U.S. can play an important role in the modernization of the Uzbek economy, raising the countrys human resources, and enhancing its scientific and technical potential.

Similarly, the commercial contracts and agreements signed during the visit also sends a clear signal to business circles in other countries regarding the long-term stability of the Uzbek market. The engagement of key U.S. corporation further increases the interest of business entities elsewhere in Uzbekistans growing economy.

Another important product of the visit was a recognition of Uzbekistans improving international reputation as a country with consistent and constructive foreign policy. Uzbekistan has always stood out for the pragmatism and results-oriented nature of its foreign policy, based on Foreign Policy Concept that emphasizes respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity; non-interference in internal affairs; the peaceful settlement of disagreements; and a commitment to universally accepted international norms and principles. On this basis, Uzbekistan is effectively establishing relations based on mutual respect across the globe and with leading international and regional organizations. In the meantime, Tashkent develops relations with all major powers, seeking to keep a balance between the interests of foreign powers, and to maintain a platform for constructive engagement in Central Asia.

Thus, President Mirziyoyev has established positive relations with a number of global leaders. In 2017, he visited Moscow, Beijing, Ankara and Seoul; at this point, Tashkent is turning its attention to European states, with forthcoming visits being planned. Tashkents growing profile in international organizations is worth mention. Mirziyoyev participated in the summit of the United Nations General Assembly, Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), and Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), bringing a new proactive approach.

In this regard, the United States is a crucial strategic partner for Uzbekistan, given its pivotal role in international security. The main directions of U.S.-Uzbekistan cooperation were reflected in the Declaration of Strategic Partnership and Cooperation signed on March 12, 2002, and reinvigorated during Mirziyoyevs visit. Successful Uzbek-American cooperation can play a significant role in stabilizing the situation in Central and South Asia.

In this connection, Tashkents active regional policy in Central Asia and Afghanistan is of particular significance. Uzbekistan has renewed close contacts with all countries of Central Asia and with Afghanistan, with a vision to transform the region into a zone of sustainable and stable growth and to generate trustful and good neighborly relations within this area. Indeed, as RUSI scholar Rafaello Pantucci has noted, there were more activities of a regional nature in 2017 than in the past two decades. Tashkents decision to host a conference on Afghanistan and seek a major role in the reconstruction and development of Afghanistan generated novel opportunities. In addition, Tashkent is taking a greater interest in efforts to manage other regional problems, ranging from the Aral Sea to the rational use of water resources and transboundary rivers, and maintaining a nuclear-weapon-free zone in Central Asia.

Mirziyoyevs visit is an indication that this proactive approach makes Uzbekistan an attractive partner for the United States, especially one that can play an important role in the international coalitions strategy to build peace in Afghanistan.

Importantly, Beijings reaction has been equally positive. Chinese experts support the view that cooperation between Uzbekistan and the United States on Afghanistan will contribute to the development of transit potential and further integration of the countries in the region.

CONCLUSIONS: An important result of the Uzbek leaders official visit to the United States is Washingtons support for Tashkents initiatives concerning Afghanistan. If President Mirziyoyevs proposals are implemented  including mechanisms of consultations of among heads of Central Asian states, and the economic, social and cultural integration of Afghanistan into this region  this would undoubtedly facilitate efforts to overcome the Afghan crisis and create conditions for Central and South Asian development over time.

Today, new leaders are in charge in Uzbekistan and the U.S., and are taking a fresh attitude to world and regional affairs. This provides promising prospects for the further deepening of relations between the two sides, based on their common aspiration to maintain peace and stability, and to improve mutually beneficial and long term relationships.

These mutual interests formed the agenda of highest level Uzbek-American negotiations, whose success indicate a positive bilateral understanding. This inspires confidence that Washington and Tashkent will implement these agreements promptly and efficiently, benefiting both their own citizens and all states in the region.

AUTHORS BIO: Sanjar Valiev is Deputy Head of the Institute of Strategic and Interregional Studies under the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan.

Image source: By: uz.usembassy.gov, accessed on 6.11. 2018Des militaires camerounais a Buea, Dec. 2017 Archives

Tazisong Christopher, Commissioner of the 3rd District Police Station in Muea, Buea Subdivision, Fako Division in the South West region, has been abducted by unknown men in Mile 16, Buea.

He was picked up beside a bar Sunday afternoon at about 3: 20 pm by some men onboard a motorbike who took him to an unknown destination.

The entire Mile 16 was militarized with systematic checks of Identity cards especially around the bridge.

The Commissioner of Buea Central Police Station arrived the scene few minutes after the abduction to have fist hand information. At the moment, a search has been launched.

Elsewhere, a mixed control team took villages along Buea-Limbe road by storm on Sunday when they carried out systematic control from house to house and door to door.

The search began in Tole, a popular village in Buea, before extending to Wotutu in Limbe and other areas.

Over 100 persons have been arrested and ferried to Buea where they have been detained.

The arrest in Tole and other villages come hours after dozens were also arrested in Muea, Buea Subdivision and taken into custody.

The SDF Member of Parliament for Bafut-Tubah Constituency, Hon. Fusi Namukong, has lamented on the effects of the Anglophone crisis on the economy, lives and country as a whole.

He has revealed that Over 2000 persons have been killed, over 200 000 internally displaced, at least 150 000 seeking refuge in Nigeria with an imposed curfew starting at 7PM in the North West and South West regions. The economy is down and genocide ongoing in Anglophone Cameroon.

The UN has declared the crisis has reached a point where humantarian intervention is now primodial and they have promsied to cough out millions of US dollars to support internally displaced persons , amounting to over 160, 000 according to UN statistics.Villagers seeking refuge in the forest Ayah Foundation

Hundreds of families fleeing war in some villages in Meme Division in the south west region are being hosted by churches and radio stations in Kumba.

The number of internally displaced persons doubled Monday after serious exchanges of gunshots between Soldiers and Ambazonia fighters in localities of Teke and Mambanda all in meme Division.

The tension that existed early Monday forced men, women, children to trek from Teke, Mambanda to Fiango where they headed to the Catholic Church which has been hosting dozens of civilians fleeing army brutality.

Another group of internally displaced persons are being hosted by Ocean City radio; a Kumba based private radio station.

There were also gunshots in Ekona, Muyuka Subdivision early Monday as locals were caught up in the fight between Soldiers and Ambazonia fighters.

Thousands have in the last couple of months have been displaced in several villages perpetrated by military.

The villages have been burnt, livestock, farms and other properties looted and destroyed.Statistics have it that over 90 villages have been razed by military since Anglophone crisis took a different twist last October. Soldiers like Ambazonia fighters have both died in cross fire but villagers have been worst hit in the process.

Meme Division has suffered severely in the ongoing crisis especially areas like Konye where villages have been razed and many killed. While some people have had the opportunity to run to areas where they could be hosted by goodwill individuals, others have fled into bushes where they have been taking refuge for months now.

Humanitarian issues have been tabled as those in bushes lack food, shelter and other basic needs to survive the wild climate in the forests.Government and New Age have signed a gas convention agreement covering the Etinde field project which will be the largest private investment in the country in the last five years.

ADS



The government of Cameroon and privatelyowned British company  New African Global Energy (New Age) LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas)  have reached a gas convention agreement, paving the way for the development of the Etinde field, offshore Limbe in the South West Region. The gas convention was signed by both parties in Yaounde, Friday June 8, 2018. While Gaston Eloundou Essomba, Minister of Water Resources and Energy, signed for the government of Cameroon, Dave Loran, Executive Vice President of Technical at New Age LNG, penned for his company whose Cameroonian subsidiary CMLNG will carry out the operations. Etinde field development will be the second Cameroon LNG project, after a first-of-its-kind LNG plant developed by Golar LNG off the coast of Kribi went fully operational this year. Following the signing of the gas convention which confirms and codifies the States commitment to the project, CMLNG will now take the project to the next stage, officials said. According to the Executive Vice President of Technical at New Age LNG, construction of an integrated floating liquefied natural gas vessel will begin next year in shipyards in China.

The vessels expected to be built in the next four years will be deployed as the central processing facility of the Etinde field. The FLNG facility will be a new vessel with flexibility, high availability design that is capable of receiving associated gas, then processing, storing and offloading over 30,000 barrels per day of condensate, Dave Loran said. He indicated that the vessel will also be able to produce 1.3 metric tonnes per annum (Mtpa) LNG, 0.15 Mtpa of separated propane and butane, as well as gas for export to a delivery point in Limbe to supply potential domestic gas projects. Once fully operational, the project will provide 350-400 highly skilled local jobs in both offshore and land-based roles. Three thousand more indirect jobs are envisaged within the wider community. Michael Kimbi Tchenga, Trade Adviser at the British High Commission in Yaounde, said over the 25+ years life of the project, up to USD 2.5 billion (over FCFA 1.1 trillion) in tax revenue will be pumped into the State coffers. An additional USD 1.5 (over FCFA 836 billion) will trickle down as a result of the establishment of an onshore logistic base with offices, warehouses and workshops and provision of supporting services and marine fleet.



AMINDEH Blaise ATABONG| BY Lynchy |

Toyota Malaysia has engaged local independent agency, The Clan to produce its first ever Hari Raya campaign. Called Jalan Cerita, which means storyline  the campaign focuses on the unique tales that Toyota drivers weave throughout their lives. And no matter where their Jalan Cerita takes them, Toyota is there every step of the way.

Centred around a Hari Raya film, Jalan Cerita was brought to life across different touchpoints, both on-ground and online. The film tells the story of a fathers bond with his son through the years, alluding also to Toyotas legacy that has spanned 60 years in Malaysia. We see the story being told in the 80s, 90s and current times.

Preceding the video is a series of Instagram Stories that shared Ramadan life hacks with the audience. Told through the character of Sarah, our main protagonists wife in the Raya film, the IG stories took the audience through different tips in preparation for Raya and ultimately led them to the campaign microsite and a test-drive form that helped Toyota acquire new leads on a daily basis.

The main Raya film was preluded by various teaser and trailer cuts:

6 SECONDS UNSKIPPABLE AD (featuring the iconic Toyota AE86 Trueno):

If youve noticed, the videos are held together by a consistent soundtrack. The track is none other than Altimets latest new single, Muda. A renown musician and lyricist, Altimet is highly regarded as one of Malaysias biggest names in the music scene. Through this collaboration, Toyota aims to reach out and engage with the Youth and Malay market sgements. It also helps that the track is highly infectious and carries a strong resonance to the story of Jalan Cerita. A music video for the song featuring Altimet and a few Toyota cars will also be expected to roll out soon.

At the centre of Jalan Cerita is our main Raya film, which tells a tale that spans generations. Its a simple premise that is relatable to every Malaysian out there as the brand leverages a common Malaysian phrase jalan-jalan, which means to go on a ride or just wander without a destination.

Credits 

Creatives: Casey Loh, Edwin Lee, Rudy La Faber, Ng Wai Yuan, Nikke Ho, Christynna Fong, Seneca

Gan, Mya Nabila, Nini Nadzli, Zairul Azmi, Fissh Gan

Account Management: Syed Nasir, Sandra Heung, Mandy Teoh, Diana Zulkiflee

Strategic Planning: Nazirah Ashari, Chan Ming-Ti

Production House: The Pluto Project

Director: Syed Madnuh

Executive Producer: Jessica Boorman

Production Team: Lin Lee, Maylyn Ong, Goh Poo Eik, Something Reel Studio

Post Production: APVNotice for the Postmedia Network

This website uses cookies to personalize your content (including ads), and allows us to analyze our traffic. Read more about cookies here. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.Photo: Contributed

Have you changed your password for something lately? Did you have trouble? You can absolutely cut down on the pain and suffering if you make a note of these tips.

When you change your password for something somewhere, you must change it everywhere.

A world where you can unlock your car by pressing a button, but where you need a password to fire up your computer is annoying.

I often help people who changed their email password on their computer and then could not get email on their phones or tablets.

Heres the thing: Youre not changing the password on your computer.

Youre using your computer to change the password thats kept in a secure area on your providers server.

You use that same user name/email address and password to access your email from every device.

Once you change it online, change the settings for your email apps on your phones and tablets, and if youre using an email program on your computer, change it there.

If you dont do that, youre not going to get your email there.

This is true for any password you use to sign in to anything online.

Do you have an Apple ID? Did you reset your password from your iPad? If you did, you need to change that password on your iPhone, too.

And on iTunes on your computer.

And please update the records you keep of your password information.

None of us can keep all this in our heads. Write down your user name and password. Write down what its for!

I dont have to count sheep at night. Instead I replay in my head the image of people picking up scraps of paper and post-it notes, and people paging through notebooks filled with passwordsand no mention of what those passwords are for, or of the user name that accompanies them.

Try this:

PASSWORDS

WHAT IS IT? USER NAME/EMAIL PASSWORD NOTES

Shaw email [email protected] $0rryN0tS0rry changed May 2011

Microsoft ID [email protected] Te$ting123 Sign in to computer; Sign in to Office365



AppleID [email protected] 1bAdAAPL iTunes, iPad, iPhone

You get the idea.

To recover your passwords, your account information must be up-to-date

You can reset your forgotten passwords in online services. Why write down your passwords if you can just reset them?

Cant remember your AppleID password?

Your Gmail/Google password?

Your Microsoft password?

You can always click on that link that says reset password.

And maybe that will work. Microsoft of Google or Apple will send you another link to click on or a code to type in and you can recover your account and change your password, right?

Right. That will work if:

You provided another email address, or

You provided a phone number, and

You have access to it.

If you provided a telephone number thats not current, or you used to be with Shaw and now youre with Telus and you dont have access to your old email, youre out of luck.

Keep your account information current! Keep a record of your login/password information! And dont forget to update every device that uses a password that you change.



Were almost there

Just two more weeks until The Payton & Dillon Budd Memorial Ride for the Canadian Mental Health Association. Im so grateful to all of you whove sponsored me in the Ride Dont Hide event.

There is still time! Please click on this link to make your secure on-line donation and support the CMHA: https://goo.gl/WnnSd3.

Any amount you can spare is much appreciated. Thank you!Alanna Kelly

A stranger allegedly uttered death threats to a grandmother and her grandchildren while at City Park last Tuesday.

Shelley Hein took her 11 and nine-year-old grandsons to have a fun evening in the park, but it turned horribly wrong.

All of a sudden this boy says to my grandson that he was going to kill him and he was going to shoot him in the head with a .22 gun, she told Castanet.

The boy, who looked to be about 16 years old, was with a group of teenagers sitting at a nearby picnic table.

Hein walked directly over to the table and confronted the group, asking which one of them threatened to kill her grandson.

One of the girls twitched her head over to a boy, she said.

When she confronted the male he uttered death threats at her and bolted out of City Park.

Hein contacted RCMP to report the incident and said her two grandsons are extremely distraught about the entire incident.

RCMP said they immediately patrolled the area, but were unable to locate the individual.

Police have learned that when confronted by an adult, the youth continued to utter threats of harm towards the woman, said Cpl. Jesse ODonaghey.

Hein said numerous people witnessed the incident.

He threatened to have me killed and that he was going to come back and find my kids and kill them, she said.

After reading a story on Castanet about a man allegedly touching himself, while watching a young girl exit Okanagan Lake, Hein decided to reach out about what her family experienced at the park.

This B.S. at this park has to stop my kids didnt do anything and then they are being threatened to be killed, she said.

RCMP said the investigation is ongoing and described the man as 5'10" and slender, with curly dark hair and green eyes. He was wearing black Adidas pants and a black-and-grey hoodie.

Anyone with information is being asked to contact RCMP at 250-762-3300.Photo: Dave Ogilvie

A car is in the ditch southbound on Highway 97, just before Daimler Drive.

A Castanet reader sent in pictures which show fire, police and ambulance crews on scene.

The reader said the car went off the road around 5 p.m., and that traffic was restricted to one lane, though the road is now open in both directions.Photo: Contributed

A home invasion in Kamloops has led to an arrest.

At approximately 10 a.m. Sunday morning, Kamloops RCMP responded to a 911 call on Clearwater Avenue near Schubert Drive. The resident reported someone inside their house.

The police secured the area, stopping traffic for a brief time, and a police dog worked the scene. The dog traced a male to another nearby residence, who was subsequently arrested.

The RCMP want to thank the public for their patience while they were tracking the suspect.

Police will be in the area for the day, though traffic has been re-opened.Photo: CTV

Following a swing chain snapping Saturday at Surrey's Pacific Park apartments' playground, concerned parents are calling for either repairs or demolition.

Five-year-old Logan was swinging when suddenly the apparatus snapped. He is uninjured, but the incident raised concerns.

"I pushed him in the swing, looked back, and let go and he went right into this pole," said Gaetan Morin, Logan's grandfather.

Logan hit his head, so Morin stayed up most of the night with the child, nervous about a potential concussion.

Morin showed CTV News why he believes the playground is not safe. He said the S-shaped hook that holds the swing's rusty chains in place is not clamped properly, and said the rope holding the plastic seat in place is too brittle.

"It's ready to fall apart," he said. "Either you fix it or take it down. One of the two."

Pacific Park, managed by Mainstreet Equity Corp., is relatively affordable, and boasts amenities like the playground and a swimming pool. But Morin isn't the only tenant with concerns.

April Gray moved in when her son, now six, was three months old. She has been worried about the playground for years.

"If they're not functional there's no point," she said. "They're a hazardous death trap."

Gray sent an email complaining about rusting poles and chipping paint at the playground to the owners in June 2016. She said this email, as well as phone calls and messages to management, went unanswered.

"It's all rusty and one of these kids is going to get tetanus," she said.

Morin said his grandson is not allowed to play on the swings anymore, which doesn't make Logan happy, but Morin isn't willing to take the risk.Photo: Contributed

A year of training culminated for a group of army cadets with a parade, skills display and awards ceremony on Sunday.

The 903 British Columbia Dragoons Royal Canadian Army Cadet Corps conducted its Annual Ceremonial Review at the HH Angle Armoury in Kelowna. The cadets will now be departing for training camps across the country for the summer.

Parents, friends and supporters watched as the group of 12 to 18-year-olds demonstrated skills they have learned throughout the year. The cadet program is outdoor-oriented and teaches skills like he use of map and compass, GPS technology, orienteering, first-aid, camping and survival skills, canoeing, abseiling, trekking, mountain biking and more.

The program starts up again in September, and teens can participate for free.Rob Gibson

A Kelowna resident travelling back to from the Alberta border Sunday captured this video of a black bear working his way up to the rail line at the border of the Yoho and Banff National Parks.

"There was a group of excited women standing on the side of the highway and pointing and yelling at anyone who would listen. They had spotted a black bear making its way up to the rail line."

Once at the top the bear took a few minutes to survey the surroundings before making its way west on the rail line.Photo: Contributed

The State of Local Emergency for Peachland has been lifted due to a reduction in the threat of flooding.

However states of local emergency remain in effect for Kelowna, West Kelowna, and the Regional District of Central Okanagan.

As of this Monday morning, Okanagan Lake is at 342.64 metres, a reduction of 1 centimetre from yesterday. Flood protection measures will stay in place until the lake drops another 16 cm to the full pool level of 342.48 m.

Full pool is a target set by the Province to try to ensure an adequate water supply through the summer.Photo: Contributed

The Singla family has released a short statement responding to the raid on their Penticton home office by the Canadian Border Services Agency last week.

No charges have been laid against any member of the Singla family, the statement reads. The Singla family is unaware of any charges laid against any employee or person connected to Paul Singlas business.

The family also clarified that CBSA agents were at the Heather Road home on only June 7, not the following day as was reported by another outlet.

Border guards raided the home Thursday for an enforcement action, but have refused to elaborate. The agency could not immediately be reached Monday for follow up.

Operations of Singla Bros. Holdings Ltd. continue without interruption, the statement concludes.

Singla Bros. has operated in Penticton since 1973 as a developer and landlord. The companys website boasts 200 rental properties in the area and lists the Heather Road home as its offices.MCI via Getty Images(SENTOSA ISLAND, Singapore) -- Even though the big meeting isn't on the schedule until Tuesday in Singapore, there were still plenty of interesting developments over the course of the first full day that President Donald Trump has been in the city.



Here is a rundown of the biggest actions that took place overnight, as Singapore is 12 hours ahead of Eastern Daylight Time.



1. New details about Trumps first meeting with Kim Jong Un



President Trump's first meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un will be held one-on-one, according to a White House official.



While the White House update detailed the size of the meeting, the expected length of the meeting hasn't been released.



The official did not rule out the possibility that additional activities could be added to tomorrow's schedule, beyond the two planned meetings with Kim, ABC News' Jordyn Phelps reports.



Asked about a North Korean state media report that Trump and Kim were set to talk denuclearization and peace on the Korean peninsula, the official said the report is a hopeful indication.



"I think we should take some optimism from that reporting," the official said. "Given the history of the way KCNA has reported, I think that is a sign for optimism."



Trump himself seemed optimistic as well.



"Weve got a very interesting meeting in particular tomorrow," Trump said at a luncheon with the Singapore prime minister on Monday. "I think things could work out very nicely. We appreciate your hospitality and professionalism and friendship."



2. Pompeo tweeting out some closed-door moments



Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's Twitter feed was busy during the first day of the summit, sharing photos of different meetings.



The first came early in the day, showing a glimpse of his morning briefing with Ambassador Sung Kim, the South Korean-born American diplomat who is the U.S. Ambassador to the Philippines. Kim has led the U.S. team at the demilitarized zone working on a joint communique with North Korea.



Later, Pompeo shared a picture of Trump speaking with the staff of the U.S. Embassy in Singapore.



The event was closed to press, so the only specific details from inside came from Pompeo, who didn't directly quote the president in his tweet.



White House director of social media Dan Scavino later tweeted some more pictures from the event, which was held at the Shangri-La Hotel and not at the embassy itself.



3. Trade still top of mind



Trump went from one global leadership summit to another this weekend, leaving the G-7 conference in Canada to fly to Singapore. And based on the tweets that Trump sent Monday morning, it doesnt seem like he left his baggage from the first summit at the door.



After more than a days silence on Twitter, Trump posted four tweets about trade disagreements that were the talk of the G-7 conference, followed by a quick mention of the summit he is now attending -- writing Great to be in Singapore, excitement in the air! -- before turning back to tweeting about trade once more.



4. A big display with the summit host



While the main attraction of the summit will inevitably be the historic meeting between Trump and Kim, that wasn't the first world leader he met with on this trip.



He had his first formal meeting of the summit with the prime minister of Singapore, Lee Hsien Loong.



They first met one-on-one before expanding the group for a working lunch.



5. Celebrating early



There was a sweet ending to the working lunch: an early birthday cake for Trump.



The foreign minister of Singapore tweeted out a picture of the cake presented to Trump at the luncheon today in Singapore.



Trump was pictured with the cake, delivered three days before his actual birthday.

Copyright  2018, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.Associated General Contractors of East Tennessee says they are committed to building the next generation of construction professionals. To that end, the organization is offering scholarships for college students who are pursuing a career in a construction-related education program at a non-proprietary, technical, community or four-year college or university.

Scholarships range from $500-$3,000 per academic year, depending on course schedule, grades and other factors. The final determination of the award amount is at the sole discretion of the Community Foundation of Greater Chattanooga, Inc. with input and recommendations provided by the AGCs Education Committee.



Workforce development and construction-industry education is a core focus of the AGC, said Bo Bentley, chairman of AGCs Education Committee and vice president at T.T. Wilson Company. Were proud that our members established a scholarship program that has awarded support to nearly 140 students in excess of $550,000 since its launch in 2006.



Most scholarship recipients have attended regional colleges and universities, graduating with degrees such as associates of applied science, bachelors of science, and masters in construction management.



Basic Scholarship Qualifications:

 Attend a non-proprietary, technical, community or four-year college or university

 Carry/complete at least nine (9) hours pursuing a degree in a construction related field and/or declared major in architecture, construction or engineering (must carry at least three (3) credit hours of construction or construction related classes per semester)

 2.6 minimum grade point average

 Current college-level status; transitional/remedial coursework does not qualify for scholarship

 U.S. citizen or an eligible non-citizen



Applications are due by Friday, June 29 at 4 p.m. For more details and to download the application, visit AGCETN.org.The debate comes as the majority of Americans support the practice. About 72 percent of people surveyed as part of a recent Gallup poll said they believe doctors should be legally allowed to end a terminally ill patients life using painless means. That support, however, drops to 65 percent when people were asked if doctors should be allowed to assist the patient to commit suicide if a person has an incurable disease and is in severe pain.By contrast, this will be just the second concept for Quinlan. He and his operating partner, Chris Chatman, had been looking to expand for a couple of years, he said, before his real estate broker connected him to the Schoolyard opportunity, which appealed for several reasons. Beside his respect for Four Corners' restaurant operations, Quinlan said he used to frequent Schoolyard some 15 years ago.Cities have offered lavish tax breaks and incentives to lure the company and its promise of adding tens of thousands of high-paying jobs. Critics however have said it was wrong for profitable company to push for public money, especially considering the added costs to infrastructure and services the new headquarters would bring.Back in the 1970s, says Moreno, Little Village was a mix of Bohemian and Mexican. As the years have gone by, its become the largest Mexican neighborhood in Chicago. Weve expanded with the neighborhood, and weve changed a lot since moving from a small 4,375-square-foot location to our 14,000-square-foot location, which gave us room to expand our selection. With the larger space, were able to hold educational seminars, and what keeps me going every day is our customers eagerness to learn more about the spirits we carry.As filming continues, expect more local food shoutouts from Anderson. The California native, whose mother and grandmother were born and raised in Chicago, visited Paulina Market, Diner Grill and Publican Quality Bread with chef Michael Symon on a 2016 episode of Burgers, Brew & Que. Anderson also interviewed barbecue chefs at Ribfest Chicago for a 2014 episode of Eating America with Anthony Anderson.Bourdain's ex-wife, Ottavia Busia, shared a photo on Instagram of their child, Ariane, appearing on stage at a music venue in New York. Busia wrote that their daughter was "strong and brave" and wore the boots that he had bought her.In his own statement, Lasseter said, "The last six months have provided an opportunity to reflect on my life, career and personal priorities. While I remain dedicated to the art of animation and inspired by the creative talent at Pixar and Disney, I have decided the end of this year is the right time to begin focusing on new creative challenges. I am extremely proud of what two of the most important and prolific animation studios have achieved under my leadership and I'm grateful for all of the opportunities to follow my creative passion at Disney."The throwaway domestic bits are the best: Jack-Jack double-patting his father awake, when Bob conks out during the bedtime storybook, for example. That said, a faint, musty air of Mr. Mom-era gender politics underpins much of this material. t this point in the superhero-clogged drains of our moviegoing psyches, its too bad Bird didnt come up with something more arresting, or funnAier. Too often Incredibles 2 is content to stick to straight, bombastic action mode. In that mode, composer Giacchinos music is the most successful element, running nimble, beautifully orchestrated variations on themes that feel familiar in the best ways while retaining their spark. The animation is bright and visually dynamic. The script, well  if the title were Satisfactories 2, itd be about right.Since 2010, Ma has served as the Judson and Joyce Green Creative Consultant for the Chicago Symphony Orchestras Negaunee Music Institute, a role which fosters education and outreach opportunities for young musicians, in order to make classical music accessible for Chicagoans all over the city. During that time, Ma learned about the work of Pfleger, a South Side pastor who has fought against the poverty, drugs and gun violence which have beleaguered the South and West sides for decades. Pfleger, an outspoken community leader and social activist who promotes peace and social equality, joined St. Sabinas as lead pastor in 1981. He was personally affected by gun violence in the neighborhood when his foster son, Jarvis Franklin, was killed by stray gunfire in 1998.Most of the composers inspirations are unknown to us, but a modern interpreters sensibility tends to respond coolly to literary references in any case. So, despite Helmchens gradations of touch, tone and color, his swift, clean interpretations suggested the pieces had been pretty much unencumbered by extramusical associations. The degree of their cleanliness was indicated by a lone encore, Schumanns Bird as Prophet from the Opus 82 Forest Scenes. This had both a finely calibrated approach to the notes and a full measure of delicate, quirky fantasy. The Novelletten, on the other hand, were most satisfying when, as in No. 8, the composers directive to play as if a voice from afar was prompted by another piece of music  a quotation from a Notturno by Clara Schumann  rather than the evocations of poetic or novelistic language.Nina Metz: What I love about that opening scene in the salon with the Hussers sprawled out in the pedicure chairs was how petulant the men are now that theyre not calling the shots. I mean, theyre letting money just sit there at the clinic instead of, you know, laundering it  what kind of criminal does that? It says so much about their entitlement that once they have to start working for someone else, they dont want to work at all. But the men have always been the least interesting part of the show. Desna will have to decide how much of this is her identity now; shes had one foot in the crime world, one foot out  psychologically, at least. And how long until she finds out her new boyfriend is a fraud working in cahoots with the Hussers?Following years of appeals, Michael Peterson was granted a retrial and released from prison in 2011 after a judge ruled that a key prosecution witness had lied on the stand. His conviction was overturned, and a new trial date was set for May 2017. But in February of last year, Peterson officially became a free man after entering an Alford plea. Under the terms of the plea, as explained by the Raleigh News & Observer, Peterson - who continued to maintain his innocence - "acknowledged that prosecutors had enough evidence to convict him of voluntary manslaughter." He was not required to spend any additional time in prison since he was given credit for the eight years he had already served behind bars.Soon, we are airborne again and, all too soon, back at the dock. Our flight lasted just 15 minutes, but like every experience that commands total attention, each moment transcended ordinary time. It also left me pondering two questions. How often do I achieve this in daily life, and when can I book a longer tour  perhaps flying beneath the trees 10 feet above the dark mysteries of the Ocklawaha River?But regional differences were great, with one clinic for every 55,662 women in the Northeast and one for every 67,883 women in the West. The Midwest had the lowest number of clinics per woman, with one for every 165,886 women, while the ratio in the South was one clinic for every 145,645 women.Siegel, whose property is within the fire protection districts boundaries, said he originally aimed to have The Barn annexed into Crest Hill and was in the process of working with village officials when the county stepped in and shut down operations at The Barn. County officials at that time said they needed to take action because of the immediacy of pending events and the lack of proper permitting and safety precautions on the property. Siegel on Thursday said he did not plan to pursue annexation with Crest Hill and will work with county officials.Ill be on the verge of suggesting  ever so gently  that theres a bit of paranoia in the view that Big Brother is either already upon us or was only staved off by Donald Trumps election. Then Ill remember an executive order of the Obama administration.One of the Camrys passengers, Anudari Bayaraa, 23, was pulled from the car suffering major head trauma and a fractured skull, Williams said. She was taken to Stroger Hospital where she later died. A 30-year-old man riding with her was also taken to Stroger where he was treated for two deep cuts to his scalp that required multiple sutures and staples to close, Williams added.United flight 971 took off from Rome about 10:40 a.m. Rome time or about 3:40 a.m. Chicago time. About four hours later, it landed in Shannon, Ireland, because of a potential security concern, according to a statement from United Airlines. There were 207 passengers and 11 crew members on the flight.The second man pulled a handgun and fired, hitting the 23-year-old in the chest and shoulder, according to police. He was taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center, where his condition was stabilized, police said.Edward Sadlowski rose from working as a machinist's apprentice on Chicago's Southeast Side to being elected shop steward of his steel mill to leading the largest local Steelworkers union in America, Mayor Rahm Emanuel said in a statement Sunday. He served bravely in the Army and fought passionately for the rights of workers in Chicago and across America.Officers found the woman in the 10000 block of South Forest Avenue just before 11:55 a.m. Sunday, police said. She had suffered severe trauma, police said.And if you look at what he said, he said something to the effect like, What do I get?  Stupid thing to say. But hes sort of saying  hes gonna make a U.S. senator, which is a very big deal, Trump said. If you read his statement, it was a foolish statement. There was a lot of bravado.  Plenty of other politicians have said a lot worse. He shouldnt have been put in jail.U.S. Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Washington, addresses those gathered outside the Federal Detention Center in SeaTac, Wash., on June 9, 2018, after she met with asylum seekers inside. (Alan Berner / AP)There are many, many Central American women and women from other parts of the world who have been able to obtain protection, said Denise Gilman, director of the immigration clinic at the University of Texas Law School in Austin. Many women sitting right now in detention under these claims might lose their right to obtain protection and be deported to dangerous situations.CVID is a pipe dream, says Joel Wit, a former U.S. diplomat involved in past negotiations with North Korea, who is now a senior fellow at the Stimson Center in Washington. The issue for us is, how far can we get in that direction? A freeze of nuclear and missile testing, rolling back, and dismantling is not something that happens overnight.And think how blissful the coming days could be if only you would allow yourself to reflexively, and without firing a synapse more than is necessary, applaud Trumps triumphant dominance over North Korea and his single-handed, Art of the Deal-inspired, total-and-complete denuclearization and taming of the madman, Kim Jong Un, which he will surely boast about via Twitter in ways that fly in the face of evidence, logic and rudimentary rules of grammar.One of the iconic parks and jewels of Chicago is the Milton Lee Olive Park. It is an architectural wonder, and one of the nations few memorials to African-American soldiers. As a veteran, I was anxious to return to the park and show my family the magnificent fountains, the new memorial, and the spectacular views of the Chicago downtown and lakeside walkways."Oh look, there goes the whole Tribune editorial staff. Guess they heard Trumps approval ratings went up."A: Passage from South African artist Mohau Modisakeng: Its an immersive piece, and in it, Mohau is focusing on the reverberations of the Trans-Atlantic slave trade felt in Apartheid. What I appreciate so much outside of it being amazingly hypnotic in a wonderful way  it has all the elements of Afrofuturism in it. We think about water as life-giving, but also thinking about the forced migration of enslaved people, how that water was not life-affirming, it was the opposite. Africans were thrown overboard. Mohaus thinking about it on the African side of it. So often when we talk about slavery, we automatically think black American.Having been immersed in clashes over race, class, and economic insecurities in recent American politics, Clarence Page writes that he is intrigued by the ways such issues have popped up on theater and at-home screens, not just here, but across the industrialized world.It is clear that the city is on the rise and the opportunity to be a part of this renaissance, to create a space that allows for greater opportunity in the historic downtown area, was one we couldnt pass by, Marquez said. The historic spaces around and including Company 251 were begging to be renovated and we felt it was an immense blessing that the River Street location was open for us.Looking through minutes from early board meetings, old photos and reading different historical documents about the organization, Windel said the idea of being of greatest service to the community and doing what is most needed has always been there.The program is appropriate for students who will study communications, English, education, history and psychology, school officials said. It is also for those students who are undecided on a major, according to the release.The park, which encompasses 4.2 acres and a pond on the northeast corner of Plainfield Road and Adams Street, underwent a six-month renovation, with the help of a $400,000 grant from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. The grant required a community match, and Willowbrook spent about $568,000 of village funds on the park, for a total cost of about $968,000, village administrator Tim Halik said.How do you know if someone is at risk for suicide? Newman said if you are worried about a person, ask them if they have ever had thoughts of killing themselves and how recently. If they say yes, ask these follow up questions: Do you have a plan? Do you know how you would follow through? Do you have the means to kill yourself?According to authorities, Garza was in Addison near 500 South Green Oaks Court when he approached a vehicle that Reynoso was in and fired a bullet, which struck Reynoso in the back of the head. Garza then fled, prosecutors said.According to Benaitis, the process of obtaining a governors warrant is an involved one and can take anywhere from a month to three months. A call left with the states attorney seeking comment about the process was not returned.Ellis had told the village to provide the transcripts for her to review by June 7, but attorneys said more time is needed because the conversations were recorded on audiotapes, which must be transcribed, and that the people who were involved in the discussions are not clearly identified by name on the recordings, which involves a separate step of identifying who was talking, according to the extension request.Frank A. Poremba, 30, of Milwaukee, was taken into custody on two active warrants May 29. Police were dispatched for a well being check in the vicinity of Tennaqua Drive and Castlewood Lane where they encountered Poremba. A check showed an outstanding warrant in Cook County for driving under the influence and in Cicero for driving with a suspended license. He is free on bond and is scheduled to appear in Cook County Court July 9.Legislating in an effort to reduce gun violence is not new to the three towns. Highland Park banned assault weapons and high-capacity magazines five years ago and defended it all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. Deerfield passed similar legislation on April 2 when it amended its law regulating storage of those types of guns.The house once stood at 299 Prospect Ave. before its last owners, Ray and Mary Ann Fick, sold it in 1991 to what was then the Elmhurst Fine Arts and Civic Center Foundation. A few years later it was moved near the museum site, 150 Cottage Hill Ave. In 1997, it became part of the structure of the new museum, which incorporated elements of the house design in its structure.The River Grove Fire Department last month held a fundraiser for Paczesny, a part-time River Grove and a part-time Fox River & Countryside firefighter. The goal was to raise $10,000, according to River Grove Deputy Fire Chief Sean Flynn, who said, when we found out he almost lost his life, we decided to do this benefit to help him with the medical bills.The go button on the motorized vehicle will be on the steering wheel for the child and will be modified to their personal needs, Piper said. There is also a safety on-and-off switch on the back of the car for parents.A lot of the younger people said they would feel more comfortable turning their guns in if it were out in the community somewhere, instead of having to walk into a police station, Murray said. And people didnt want to be getting gift cards. The thought was, If Im giving you my gun, I want cash.Drought, fire, flood, and now COVID - the resilience of rural women

COVID has affected the business on the dairy farm, but so has the floods, the droughts and everything that has come with it, the women said.Of course, it doesnt hurt that Chicago is one of the most popular musicals ever. In addition to winning seven Tony Awards, its 1996 Broadway revival went on to become the longest-running revival and the longest-running American musical in Broadway history. And the 2002 film version, as a bonus to its extraordinary box-office success, won six Oscars including Best Picture.There are about eight houses on the north side of Chicago Avenue and about 20 houses on the south side where residents will not be able to use their driveways during construction, Peluso said. Homeowners along other streets that will be reconstructed will have similar problems.With all the things going on in the world today, we could use more kindness, White said, suggesting that small acts of kindness, such as saying hello or opening the door for someone can make a difference in their life. You never know what that person is going through.OUIs, or operating under the influence incidents, totaled 79 in 2012 and then dropped each year to 63, 54, and then 20 in 2015. They were up to 24 the following year, and totaled 17 last year. There were 15 accidents in 2012, followed by 10 and 12 in the subsequent years, jumping to 21 in 2015, before dropping back down to 15 in 2016 and 13 in 2017.As is PETAs strategy, the group tries to sway us emotionally by rolling out the worst possible scenarios. This time, they have accused District 113 of purchasing its dissection collection from a warehouse of horror  which sounds like it could be a nifty Six Flags Fright Fest attraction this fall  but in actuality is a Minnesota firm which supplies anatomy subjects to schools across the nation. District 113 spent about $3,500 on dissection specimens from the firm in the last school year, a spokeswoman told the Tribune.Messer said Bakker attempted to commit suicide in 2014 by slitting his arm, an act that required 100 stitches. During the weeks before and after shooting his father, Messer said, he again was having suicidal thoughts. She said the two men loved each other and often had differences like in any family, but could not say what they were arguing about during the time of Daniel Bakkers death. He hopes to one day be able to talk to his sister.For the first year, he said, the school will educate only ninth-graders and be limited to 25 students. Then, as those students advance to their sophomore year the following year, up to 25 new students will come in as freshmen. In four years, the MCC would have all four high school years in place, Quadri said.But she made up for that June 1. In the space of a few hours, she and other seniors at the not-for-profit Lifeplan community located in Norridge lived a whirlwind existence  crisscrossing continents and visiting such wonders as the Taj Mahal, the Rome Colosseum, and Statue of Liberty.Although kitchen equipment will be more limited  theyll be baking rather than frying items like empanadas and other pastries  Pereira will again serve dishes with Brazilian flavors. Most of the main dishes from Taste of Brasil wont be available, at least not right away, so Pereira said that contributed to the restaurants name change.This is the third year Park Ridge knitters have taken part in World Wide Knit in Public Day, which as its name suggests, is an initiative aimed at promoting community knitting across the world. As part of the promotion, the knitters yarn bombed the front of Park Ridge Community Church at Prospect and Courtland avenues by wrapping the trees and sign with knitted squares and attaching balls of yarn to the bushes.Smith introduced the informant to Truitt as the undercover agents waited in a vehicle, and the informant said he had $2,000 to purchase the firearms, according to court documents. Graham then lifted his shirt and displayed to the informant an unknown caliber firearm in the waistline of his pants, the complaint states. Truitt asked the informant where the money was.He said he would determine if discipline is warranted or any other actions should be taken once the investigation is complete, which he said should be in one to two weeks.Isom maintained that he did not make the statement and that his signature was forged, according to the order. If Isoms attorneys had questioned whether the statement was the product of mental illness, the defense would have had to concede that Isom made the statements, the order states.Bennett said the process used in the Snyder case failed to use comprehensive search terms during the first phase to better filter the communication; used FBI agents without law degrees to screen for privileged material; and finally duplicate communications were flagged as privileged and non-privileged during the third stage and were passed to the trial team.If you had any doubts about the Supreme Court being an outpost of the Republican Party, the decision to allow Ohio to eliminate voters from the rolls even if they only miss one election should convince you. This is a blatant effort to prevent the old, the young, and minorities from voting, by assuming that if you fail to vote, you must have "moved away."The village and all of the municipalities at least within our acquaintance work very hard in putting together our annual budgets, Skokie mayor George Van Dusen said. Our budget this year  as it has the last few years  is what I would term a maintenance budget. No new major programs but continuation of all of the programs that we have come to expect.McKeough, who heads to Emory University in the fall, said she wants to make dance part of her life in some fashion. Damen, who will attend Loyola University, said she hopes to study education. She doesnt know how much dance will figure in her future but said she hoped it would."I think that (Pilsen) is trying to preserve its cultural integrity and uphold Latino culture, but it's changing, I've read about the gentrification that has happened here," said Maria Barba, who attended Pilsen's Mole de Mayo festival this year. "...People get to see the celebratory side of it and not so much the economic or social struggles that happen here," she added.By Gidon Gautel and Zoey Zhang

Editors Note: This article was first published on August 28, 2017, and was last updated on February 1, 2021.

Social insurance exemption for foreigners can be a valuable asset for employers and foreign employees to save on unnecessary costs. However, many companies hiring eligible employees are not aware of the benefits available to them, while those who do are often unsure as to how to go about applying.

Chinas social security system consists of five different types of insurance, plus one mandatory housing fund. The five insurances are pension, medical, unemployment, work-related injury, and maternity insurances.

The premiums for pension, medical, unemployment insurance, and mandatory housing found are jointly contributed to by the employer and employee, while the premiums for work-related injury and maternity insurance are solely contributed to by the employer.

While regional authorities manage the social insurance system  not all regional governments have enacted the implementation rules for Chinas international social security agreements.

China has signed social security agreements with 12 countries, but only 11 such agreements have been implemented. Currently, expatriates from Germany, South Korea, Denmark, Canada, Finland, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Spain, Luxembourg, Japan, and Serbia are eligible for social security exemptions across China.

In this article, we look at who is eligible for exemption and how to apply.

Social insurance in China

The Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security requires foreign employees working in China to participate in its social insurance scheme as detailed in the Interim Measures for the Participation in Social Insurance of Foreigners Employed in China, 2011.

According to Chinese labor law, any foreigner employed by a legally registered entity in China or any foreigner dispatched to a registered branch or representative office of a foreign company  must participate in basic pension insurance for employees, basic medical insurance for employees, work injury insurance, unemployment insurance, and maternity insurance.

However, since social insurance is managed at a regional level, a range of inconsistencies exist among cities. As a result, most major cities have implemented their respective requirements for foreign employees.

For example, in cities such as Beijing, Tianjin, Shenzhen, and Nanjing, among many others, social insurance payments are compulsory for foreign employees  who are treated in the same way as domestic workers. On the other hand, Shanghai does not currently require foreign employees to contribute towards social insurance.

Since all regional authorities have not implemented rules in accordance with international social security agreements  which increases the difficulty in obtaining exemptions  employees from countries that have agreements with China are eligible for social insurance exemptions.

To date, 11 such agreements have been implemented between China, and the following countries: Germany, Korea, Denmark, Canada, Finland, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Spain, Luxembourg, Japan, and Serbia.

China has also signed agreements with France and Serbia; these agreements are not yet in effect.

Applicable countries

All existing agreements define the groups of employees eligible for exemption and lay out the categories of social insurance for which employees are exempt from paying.

In turn, Chinese employees sent to the participating country will also be exempt from making the relevant social insurance contributions there.

Social insurance exemptions are only available to a defined group of labor categories, and not to all foreign employees.

The 11 bilateral agreements with China for social insurance payment exemptions that have been implemented are shown in the table below.

For example, the China-Japan social insurance agreement, which took effect September 1, 2019, will exempt Japanese nationals from Chinas basic pension contribution as well as exempt Chinese nationals from Japans National Pension and Employees Pension Insurance.

It will apply to dispatched personnel, employees on board ships and aircraft, civil servants, and diplomatic and consular personnel of each side.

As to the agreement with France, which is not yet effective, details including the implementation date and range of exemptions will be announced  once each country completes their respective domestic legal procedures.

Basic process for applying for premium exemptions

Exemption does not apply automatically, and companies with foreign employees are required to apply to related bureaus for exemption.

Though the process of applying for insurance premium exemptions varies across regions, and according to the specific agreement under which it is performed, it follows a standard formula.

The entity that employs the foreign employee in China must submit original certification of insurance issued by a relevant entity in the country of origin to the local Chinese social insurance bureau.

This will then be verified, and a copy will be held on record. Following verification of this documentation, and possible further verification and certification, the employee in question will be exempt from the relevant social insurance payments.

The time limit of the exemption period may vary.

For employees from the Netherlands, for example, the maximum length of the exemption period is five years. If the dispatch period is more than five years, the time limit for exemption will not be extended for more than one year.

Difficulties of implementation

While social insurance exemption agreements offer cost benefits to enterprises based in China, businesses should act in caution regarding how they go about availing them.

Although bilateral agreements for exemption are made at a national level, regional governments must implement the system locally.

This invariably results in inconsistencies and varying levels of implementation at a local level, complicating the process for companies and foreign employees.

David Niu, Senior Manager of Human Resources Administration and Payroll Services at Dezan Shira & Associates, explains: Officers in social insurance bureaus are often unsure about how to implement foreign employee social insurance exemptions. Many cities have no local regulations relating to this topic, especially in second and third-tier cities.

He elaborates: Cases exist where city-level regulation for insurance exemption is not at hand from the local bureau. In such cases, if a business makes the decision not to make social insurance payments for their foreign staff, they may be challenged by the bureau for non-compliance during a later insurance inspection.

David also highlights a key grievance that emerges in this area in the case of Shanghai.

By local rule, female foreign employees are not required to contribute to maternity insurance in Shanghai, which can cause some disagreement between the employer and the employee. In case the foreign female staff needs to take maternity leave, the local social insurance bureau will not cover the payroll and relevant costs for the staff during the leave.

However, from the employers perspective, they seem to have no legal obligation to compensate the cost themselves either. Thus, the employer should reach an agreement prior to employing the staff to define the future obligations and responsibilities to avoid labor disputes on this issue.

Finally, companies should note that failure to pay social insurance premiums when not in receipt of explicit consent from the local social insurance bureau bears an inherent risk.

Therefore, it is essential to consult both the local social insurance bureau, as well as relevant staff at the local labor bureau before taking any unilateral measures.

Additionally, seeking the help of an advisor is highly recommended. If appropriate precautions are taken, these agreements can be beneficial tools for enterprises employing foreign staff in China.It's common these days to see Chinese and Western musicians work to create musical pieces that combine elements from both genres.

And while this type of musical collaboration was rare in the 17th century, it was not unheard of.

Yet, thanks to the efforts of Diego de Pantoja, a Spanish missionary who had been in China since the end of the 16th century and established cultural relations with the court of the Emperor Wanli (1563-1620) during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), the practice was pioneered.

Pantoja brought with him the first foreign instrument with a keyboard to the Forbidden City and demonstrated to the court the musical art of playing the clavichord.

It was from this time on that Western instruments such as the clavichord, spinet, organ and harpsichord began to appear in the Chinese imperial court.

And as a tribute to Pantoja, a program of music composed during the 16th to 18th centuries was staged in Beijing recently.

The concert took place in a traditional Chinese wood-and-brick building in the style of a temple, located in a bustling hutong in the city's Dongcheng district.

With its red pillars lining the interior, the building dates back to the Ming Dynasty and was once the site of an imperial printing workshop.

Seven Spanish musicians, with the women dressed in qipao and men in Chinese suits, played a program that blended the Western baroque style with traditional Chinese music.

The music was once played to the Chinese imperial court in the Forbidden City during the Ming and Qing (1644-1912) dynasties.

The musicians played Western orchestral instruments including the violin, harp and violone, alongside typical baroque instruments such as the lute and harpsichord-as well as the Chinese instruments, the erhu, dizi, sheng and guzheng.

The instruments mixed harmoniously and, in some pieces, the melody was accompanied by an aria, which was combined with the singing styles of traditional Chinese Kunqu Opera.

The musicians were from two separate bands. One is called Todos los Tonos y Ayres, which specializes in the research and interpretation of early Chinese music, as well as the musical relationship between Imperial China and the West.You are here: Business

Russia's United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) has reached a consensus with the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC) on the overall layout for the planned co-production of a China-Russia wide-body airliner. The CR929 is expected to make its maiden flight sometime in 2023, reports kommersant.ru.

CR929 is being developed by the China-Russia Aircraft International Corp (CRAIC), a joint venture between the two state-run aircraft makers registered in Shanghai.

The Russian report says the sides have signed agreements on major geometric features of the CR929, including the size and shape of the wings and the layout of the fuselage.

The two sides first began feasibility studies on the CR929 in 2014. Officials expect the review process to be completed sometime in mid-2019.

Chinese and Russian officials say they expect the aircraft to challenge the market dominance of Boeing's 787 and the Airbus A350.

Maiden flight of CR929 is scheduled for sometime in 2023.

CRAIC is anticipating deliveries of the aircraft to begin in 2026.Academicians at the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Engineering have called for "a day without online games" after seeing an online photo of a note written by a so-called "left-behind" child, one of millions in the country who have at least one parent working away from home.

"I don't like the books and stationery you gave me. I want a smartphone to play 'Arena of Valor,'" wrote the child, referencing an online game popular in China, in a note handed to employees from a subsidiary of the State Grid Corporation of China in Jiangsu province who volunteered to help "left behind" children.

The employees shared a picture of the note in an article posted on the social media platform WeChat, writing that they are considering how to provide more emotional care to left-behind children and prevent them from becoming addicted to online games.

The child's wish aroused concern from 22 academicians, who said it revealed the increasingly dangerous effects of online games on Chinese youngsters.

They jointly proposed that all game operators pause services and that major websites block game-related content each year on International Children's Day, celebrated on June 1 in China, in an effort to strengthen social commitment to children's mental health.

They also called for full implementation of real-name registration for users and an age-based rating system for games in a proposal published on May 31 in the China Science Daily, a newspaper run by the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

The number of young gamers in China reached 191 million in December 2015, according to statistics provided by the China Youth Association for Network Development (CYAND), an organization focused on proper internet usage for young Chinese people.

There are over 24 million young "internet addicts' in China's urban areas, and another nearly 18.6 million showing "a propensity for the condition", according to a survey by the CYAND.

In addition, Chinese youngsters tend to begin using the internet at an early age, with 60 percent starting between the ages of 6 and 10, according to a survey by the Central Committee of the Communist Youth League.While the organization itself is barely two decades old, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) has come to its own and managed to make significant progress in a number of areas, much to the benefit of all its member states and the world at large.

Founded in 2001, the SCO was formed in response to the expansion of the "Shanghai Five." The "Shanghai Five" grouping was created in 1996, and consisted of China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan, with its main objective at the time being focused on peacefully addressing and solving border disputes. Since then, what was originally known as the "Shanghai Five" has gone on to evolve into the SCO, an organization dedicated to promoting peace, stability and development of the Asian continent through cooperation, amongst its eight-member states, six dialogue partners and four observer states.

Interestingly, as the SCO continues to blossom in size, influence and stature (SCO member states currently constitute 60 percent of Eurasia's landmass, almost half of the world's population and 20 percent of global GDP), it has also gone on to illustrate China's style of leadership in an international context -- which is one that is geared towards fostering cooperation among equals. Indeed, nothing embodies how China seeks to engage with other countries more than the essence of the Shanghai Spirit. As one of the SCO's founding tenets, it highlights how the affairs of the organization should be dealt with in a way which emphasizes mutual trust, mutual benefit, equality, consultation, respect for diverse civilizations and the pursuit of the common development of all parties involved.

Not only has the SCO served as a platform for an alternative approach to leadership on a global or regional scale, the successes of the organization help underpin the merits of this approach too. What started out as a five-member organization dedicated to border resolution has now come to represent something much bigger and more symbolic. Indeed, according to a report released by the Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies at Renmin University of China, the case for this is made particularly well in the areas of politics, economics, security and people-to-people exchanges.

The benefits of the SCO have been realized in a number of ways. Take education for instance, in 2016, China committed to providing annual scholarships for 20,000 students from SCO member states from 2016 to 2021. The SCO has also developed the University of Shanghai Cooperation Organization or University SCO, which encourages cultural and academic exchanges between the youth of almost 80 colleges, spread across five SCO member states and one observer state. By doing this, the SCO is showing how it strives to equip the SCO leaders of tomorrow with the tools needed to further unlock and better realize the region's potential for economic development and closer integration on multiple fronts.

Another benefit of the SCO can be found in its Anti-Terrorism Center. Based in Tashkent (the capital of Uzbekistan), it opened in January 2014 and is part of a joint effort by the SCO's members to fight what they view as the three evil forces in terrorism, extremism and separatism. The pledges made go beyond words though, since its inception, the center has helped prevent more than 600 terrorist related crimes, as well as arrest more than 2,000 members of international terrorist organizations -- doing its bit to help keep the overall region, and world safer.

Furthermore, other long-lasting benefits which have come as a result of the creation of the SCO include how the organization, in its own way, has contributed to laying down the groundwork for the Belt and Road Initiative. The SCO is the first of its kind to encompass nations of such cultural, social and linguistic diversity, with it arguably being of no coincidence that all of the group's member states, dialogue partners and observer states are participants of the Belt and Road Initiative at present. Perhaps it was the SCO and its Shanghai Spirit which helped warm the different partners up to cooperating with China in other avenues. The SCO also presents onlookers with the rare scene of having nations which typically don't always see eye to eye on different issues, such as China and India, and India and Pakistan sharing a common platform and collectively tackling different issues concerning them all.

The author, Timothy Lobban BA (Cantab), currently lives in Beijing where he freelances as the lead editor at forpotus.com and as a columnist for China Matters. He also does a podcast called 'Two Tims Talking Trash,' which focuses on politics, economics and popular culture in his spare time.









Opinion articles reflect the views of their authors, not necessarily those of China.org.cn.



 Flash

President Xi Jinping hosted a banquet on the evening of June 9 to welcome guests gathered in the coastal city of Qingdao in east China's Shandong province for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit.





Xi said Shandong is the home of Confucius and the birthplace of Confucianism.





Confucianism states that "a just cause should be pursued for the common good" and it champions harmony, unity and a shared community of all nations.





There is much in common between Confucianism, which emphasizes unity and harmony, and the Shanghai Spirit. As the SCO's underlining values, it advocates mutual trust, mutual benefit, equality, consultation, respect for diversity of civilizations and the pursuit of common development, Xi said.





A book series about Confucianism titled "The Essentials of Qilu Culture" displayed at the Summit's media center was popular among Chinese and foreign journalists alike, perhaps because of Xi's comments about Confucianism at the banquet.





How did foreign journalists react to the key concepts of Confucianism mentioned by Xi at the banquet? Beijing Review interviewed several foreign journalists.





"Within the four seas all men are brothers," Allabert Anna, a Russian journalist working for China Radio International, cited a line from Confucius' The Analects.





Anna has lived in China for over a decade and knows Chinese culture very well, including Confucianism. She said the endorsement of "a shared community for all nations" still applies to the contemporary world. Countries in Eurasia have different political systems and cultures. They should strengthen cooperation in areas of anti-terrorism, economy and culture in order to enable their peoples to live better lives.





A Japanese journalist said countries should learn and adopt the concepts of harmony and unity and make them their action principles.





Pachkevitch Yan, a journalist from Belarus, said the presence of India and Pakistan together at the summit exemplifies the Shanghai Spirit. Although the two countries have differences and disputes, they are willing to sit down and solve problems through negotiations.





He said China and Belarus have carried out cooperation in multiple fields under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative. Understanding Confucianism which underpins traditional Chinese culture and Xi's thought on the governance of China is crucial for boosting bilateral cooperation.You are here: World

 Flash

President of Pakistan Mamnoon Hussain met his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the SCO Council of Heads of State meeting on June 10, 2018.





The Leaders discussed matters of mutual interest including bilateral, contemporary regional and global issues.





Both agreed that relations have strengthened. Trade, energy, security, culture, education and people-to-people contact were identified as avenues for enhanced future cooperation.





The leaders agreed that the bilateral trade between the two nations has tremendous potential. They agreed to work together to further enhance economic ties and increase the trade volume.You are here: World

 Flash

Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong met with Kim Jong Un, chairman of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) and chairman of the State Affairs Commission of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), in Singapore on Sunday.





Kim is here for the summit with U.S. President Donald Trump which is scheduled for Tuesday at the Capella Hotel on Singapore's Sentosa Island.





It will be the first meeting between a sitting DPRK top leader and a sitting U.S. president.





The U.S. president is expected to arrive in Singapore on Sunday evening.You are here: World

 Flash

President of Pakistan Mamnoon Hussain met President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev at Qingdao, China, on June 10, 2018.





Hussain thanked his Uzbek counterpart for extending support for Pakistan's membership and assimilation in Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).





He praised the lead role of Uzbekistan in SCO's Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS) and reiterated Pakistan's commitment to complement RATS efforts for regional peace and security.





The two leaders agreed to enhance bilateral cooperation across all areas of mutual interest particularly in the fields of energy, agriculture, education, infrastructure and transportation. They also examined the prospects of cooperation in areas of trade and economy, investment, culture, education and science & technology. Flash

The 18th Meeting of the Council of Heads of Member States of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) is held in Qingdao, east China's Shandong province, June 10, 2018. Chinese President Xi Jinping chaired the meeting and delivered a speech. [Photo/Xinhua]

Leaders of Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) member states issued a declaration on Sunday at annual summit held in China's coastal city of Qingdao.

Amid the increasingly diverse and multi-polar geopolitical situation and growing uncertainties, the international community is in urgent need of seeking common ground and effectively coping with global challenges, said the document made public during the 18th Meeting of the Council of Heads of Member States.

SCO members have made "building a community with a shared future for humanity" a common concept, according to the document.

"The inclusion of India and Pakistan into the SCO has lifted cooperation in various areas to a new level," it said.

Member states reiterated their commitment to the Treaty on Long-Term Good-Neighborliness, Friendship and Cooperation of the SCO Member States and would continue to develop good-neighbourly relations and friendship in areas of common concern, including building shared borders into permanently peaceful and friendly ones.

"Some country or bloc unilaterally develops anti-missile systems in an unrestricted manner, denting global security and damaging world stability," said the document, stressing that ensuring one's own security should not come at the price of endangering other countries.

Member states proposed that a comprehensive United Nations treaty on fighting international terrorism should be passed by reaching a consensus based on UN documents such as the Charter of the United Nations.

"It is forbidden to interfere in other nations' internal affairs in the name of countering terrorism and extremism," it said.

Member states recognized the special role of the SCO regional counter-terrorist agencies in jointly combating the "three evil forces" of terrorism, separatism and extremism, and safeguarding regional security.

It is very important to improve these institutions' work, including development of a system to monitor and cope with potential threats in global information space, said the declaration.

"SCO members will continue to regularly hold joint anti-terrorism drills and coordinate efforts to crack down on the spreading of terrorism online," it added.

They are concerned about the rising threats posed by increased drug production, trafficking and use as well as the financing of terrorism through the drug business. "A common balanced position should be developed in combating illegal trafficking, including online trafficking of drugs and precursor chemicals."

SCO members support settlement of global conflicts by political and diplomatic means within the framework of basic codes and principles of international law to achieve general security and stability, said the document.

It is very important to keep implementing the comprehensive agreement on Iran nuclear issue, and the Korean Peninsula issue should be solved only through dialogue and consultation as well as political and diplomatic approaches, according to the declaration.

The SCO supported the peace initiative proposed by international society, including China and Russia, to mitigate the region's tension, promote denuclearization of the peninsula and maintain lasting peace in Northeast Asia.

"SCO members support dialogue and contact between the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and the Republic of Korea, and between the DPRK and the United States, and calls on all related parties to facilitate the development of dialogue," the declaration read.

They also support improvement of the global economic governance system and development of economic, trade and investment cooperation while opposing fragmentation of international trade relations and trade protectionism in any form.

Member states would enhance cooperation under the framework of current multilateral banks and financial institutions in the region, such as the SCO Interbank Consortium and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank to help finance regional cooperation projects, it said.

Fruitful multilateral and bilateral cooperation projects would be held in culture, education, science and technology, health, tourism, folk art and other fields to promote cultural communication and people-to-people exchanges, said the document. Flash

Two senior White House officials on Sunday blasted Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau over his earlier statements during the just concluded Group of Seven (G7) summit.

Trudeau announced on Saturday that all G7 members had endorsed the joint communique; however, he noted that the U.S. tariffs are "insulting" and Canada "will not be pushed around."

The remarks have enraged U.S. President Donald Trump. He tweeted hours later that he had instructed U.S. representatives not to endorse the G7 joint communique "based on Justin's false statements at his news conference, and the fact that Canada is charging massive Tariffs to our U.S. farmers, workers and companies."

Saying Trudeau is "dishonest & weak," he also threatened "tariffs on automobiles flooding the U.S. Market!"

Also in response, Larry Kudlow, director of the White House's National Economic Council, said on Sunday in an interview with CNN that Trudeau betrayed Trump with "polarizing" statements on U.S. trade policy.

He added that Trudeau's statement risked making Trump look weak before his meeting with Kim Jong Un, the top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) in Singapore.

"He really kind of stabbed us in the back," he said, adding Trump "is not going to let a Canadian prime minister push him around on the eve of this ... he is not going to permit any show of weakness on the trip to negotiate with North Korea."

Saying Trudeau's statements are "amateurish" and "sophomoric" only "for domestic consumption," Kudlow said it was Trudeau's remarks that had prompted Trump to pull out of the joint communique.

"He held a press conference and he said the U.S. is insulting. He said that Canada has to stand up for itself. He says that we are the problem with tariffs. The non-factual part of this is - they have enormous tariffs," Kudlow said. "Don't blame Trump. It was Trudeau who started blasting Trump after he left, after the deals had been made."

Trump's trade adviser Peter Navarro also lashed out on Sunday at Trudeau's statements, saying they represent "bad faith."

"There is a special place in hell for any for leader that engages in bad faith diplomacy with President Donald J. Trump and then tries to stab him in the back on the way out the door and that's what bad-faith Justin Trudeau did with that stunt press conference, that's what weak, dishonest Justin Trudeau did," Navarro told "Fox News Sunday."

Trump "did the courtesy to Justin Trudeau to travel up to Quebec for that summit. He had other things, bigger things, on his plate in Singapore. ... He did him a favor and he was even willing to sign that socialist communique. And what did Trudeau do as soon as the plane took off from Canadian airspace? Trudeau stuck our president in the back. That will not stand," he noted.

Trump's decision to withdraw his support for the communique has drawn sharp criticism from Germany on Sunday.

"In a matter of seconds, you can destroy trust with 280 Twitter characters," German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said when asked about Trump's decision. "We have seen this with the climate agreement or the Iran deal."

Canada's Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland spoke against the United States over its tariffs on steel and aluminum on Friday during the Group of Seven (G7) summit in Charlevoix, Quebec.

"Canada will not change its mind when it comes to the illegal and absolutely unjustified application of tariffs on steel and aluminum, not only coming from Canada, but on the steel and aluminum sold by all the G7 allies who are assembled here, to the United States," Freeland said in a news conference at the summit.

Noting the U.S. imposition of tariffs was officially stated as a national security consideration, Freeland said: "We are very clear that Canada does not pose a national security threat to the United States. On the contrary, as part of the U.S. law, we are part of the national defense base of the United States."

"Canada has already raised cases at the WTO and at NAFTA, and we will retaliate," she said. "But we say that with great sadness."

Last week, Canada hit back at Trump administration by announcing retaliatory tariffs on up to 16.6 billion Canadian dollars (12.8 billion U.S. dollars) worth of U.S. steel and aluminum as well as a diverse list of other products. Those countermeasures are set to take effect on July 1.

James Brander, an international trade expert at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, said Freeland's comments were meaningful.

"I think she is outlining Canada's actual position and is outlining actual steps that have been taken and are being taken," he told Xinhua in an interview.

G7 includes the seven leading industrialized countries of Britain, the United States, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and Canada.You are here: World

 Flash

U.S. President Donald Trump arrived in Singapore Sunday evening for a summit meeting with Kim Jong Un, top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK).





The meeting is scheduled to take place at the Capella Hotel on Singapore's Sentosa Island on Tuesday. It will be the first meeting between a sitting U.S. president and a DPRK top leader.





Trump will meet with Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Monday, according to a press release from Singapore's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.





Kim Jong Un arrived in Singapore earlier on Sunday and has met with Lee Hsien Loong.By Habib Toumi, Gulf News | Jun. 10, 2018

Kuwait Airways has denied reports that it had received instructions from Saudi authorities at the Jeddah airport not to board any Qatari national planning to go to Makkah for Umrah.

"Some media circles and social media have recently claimed that Kuwait Airways received instructions from the Saudi authorities to prevent Qatari nationals from performing Umrah," the airline posted on its Twitter account. "In this regard, the chairman of the board of directors of Kuwait Airways, Yousuf Abdul Hameed Al Jassim, said that the company did not receive the instructions from the Saudi authorities. In fact, it received instructions to allow Qatari citizens to travel to perform Umrah without prior permission through King Abdul Aziz Airport in Jeddah and Prince Mohammad Bin Abdul Aziz [airport] in Madina," the company said.

A video of a Qatari adviser talking about the instructions was widely circulated in Arabian Gulf countries, prompting some people to ask, via Twitter, Kuwait Airways to comment on the claims.

Turki Al Dheeb, the Relations and Media Manager at King Abdul Aziz International Airport, denied on his account the existence of such instructions.

"I stress to everyone that King Abdul Aziz International Airport welcomes the Qatari brothers coming to perform Umrah on a daily basis and there is no truth to the claim they had been prevented," he posted on his account on Sunday.

Saudi Arabia and Qatar have been engaged in a spate of accusations and denials about Qatari nationals performing Umrah.

Last week, Saudi authorities insisted there was no ban on Qatari nationals or foreign residents of Qatar performing Umrah.

"The Ministry of Haj and Umrah welcomes the Qatari brothers to perform Umrah after they register upon arrival at King Abdul Aziz International Airport in Jeddah," the ministry said in a statement carried by the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) on Tuesday.

"With regard to expatriates in Qatar who want to perform Umrah, they can register their data on the Ministry's website. They can electronically finalise their contract with the accredited Saudi Umrah companies and select their service package."

The procedures are applied with all people who arrive in Saudi Arabia to perform Umrah, the ministry said.

Those from Qatar planning to perform Umrah during Ramadan must land in Jeddah and can fly with any airline, except Qatar Airways, the ministry added.

The Qatari airline has been banned from flying to Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the UAE and Egypt after the four countries on June 5 last year severed their diplomatic, trade and travel relations with Qatar.

Qatar has repeatedly claimed that Saudi Arabia was banning its citizens and residents from reaching Makkah to perform Haj or Umrah.

The Saudi authorities have insisted there was no ban on Qataris or Qatar residents and explained that since there was no direct flight between Doha and Jeddah, they had to take other routes to reach the airport at the Red Sea city.

Makkah has no airport and all travellers land in Jeddah, 70 kilometres away.

Before the breaking off of diplomatic and travel relations, Qataris could drive overland to Makkah. However, the Salwa border checkpoint between Saudi Arabia and Qatar has been shut down.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ESCUINTLA, Guatemala - Guatemala's Volcano of Fire released a flow of burning sediment and rock on Saturday, causing authorities to order new preventive evacuations almost a week after the initial eruption left at least 110 people dead and about 200 missing.

Guatemala's seismology and volcanology institute said the new lahar - a flow of mud, debris, water and pyroclastic material - was fed by rains and tore down trees as it swept through ravines and gullies.

Later on Saturday, a rise in the Panaleon river caused by the new outflow led authorities to evacuate 72 people from the community of Santa Lucia Cotzumalguapa.

Official search efforts for the missing were suspended for the third straight day on Saturday amid dangerous conditions. But in places like San Miguel Los Lotes families and volunteers continued the search.

More than 4,000 people remained in shelters after last Sunday's eruption, where aid has begun arriving.

Associated Press

A rescue worker comforts Damaris Toma, 24, who lost her 6-year-old daughter Emily in last Sunday's eruption, in San Miguel Los Lotes, Guatemala, on Saturday.Rodrigo Abd / Associated Press

(China Daily 06/11/2018 page12)Meaning of respect for Basic Law needs clarifying Updated: 2018-06-12 06:04 By Ho Lok-sang(HK Edition)

Ho Lok-sang says rigidly following each article does not equate to upholding document's spirit, based on 'one country, two systems'

Over the past few months there has been some confusion over what exactly is meant by respecting the Basic Law of Hong Kong.

Today, candidates bidding for a seat in our Legislative Council are asked to sign a declaration, the first clause of which is that the candidate will uphold the Basic Law and pledge allegiance to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. But exactly what is meant by upholding the Basic Law?

On one occasion, Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor was reported as having said she may not agree to every clause in the Basic Law, which has 160 articles. I have also from time to time commented on the interpretation of Article 107, saying the requirement of balancing the budget should not be interpreted as requiring that we take our revenue as given and committing not to spend "beyond our means" narrowly interpreted as our revenue over a particular period. That narrow interpretation is in particular what is meant in the Chinese version, with the wording "planning spending with full regard to how much is collected in revenue". One legislator challenged her in the Legislative Council as applying double standards to herself and to Professor Benny Tai Yiu-ting, who was criticized for suggesting Hong Kong could consider independence as a state, as several other parts of China, in the event the country's "one-party rule" breaks down.

One commentator wrote an article entitled: "Cause for concern: The law according to Carrie Lam" criticizing Lam's support for co-location arrangements in the Express Rail Link terminal in West Kowloon. He pointed to the Basic Law's statement that national laws, with a few named exceptions, will not apply in Hong Kong. But the co-location arrangements let mainland officials enforce national laws within specified areas within the terminal and on the train. The commentator supported some lawyers' view that the plan clearly violated the Basic Law.

Then there was the case of Democratic Party legislator Au Nok-hin, who won the Hong Kong Island by-election. It was discovered Au had set fire to a copy of the Basic Law back in 2016. The High Court eventually rejected a bid for a judicial review initiated by a Hong Kong Island resident over his qualifications as a LegCo member. The judicial review applicant said Au's act suggested he did not support the Basic Law and that he even advocated Hong Kong's independence.

There is a need to clear up this confusion.

I would suggest that support for the Basic Law means support for the spirit of the Basic Law and especially the central theme of "one country, two systems". Moreover, I would argue that "one country, two systems" must be understood as the relationship between Hong Kong as an SAR and China as the mother country of which Hong Kong is a part. Nitpicking with the imagination that support for the Basic Law means support for each and every clause regardless of changing times, and that legal borders between the mainland and the SAR can never be adjusted for any practical reason, is just nitpicking. It does not help preserve the "one country, two systems" and actually undermines it.

As a policy analyst for several decades, I have long applauded China's pragmatism and willingness to put aside dogmas. In particular Deng Xiaoping, grand designer of the "one country, two systems" framework, had pleaded with all Chinese nationals to put down the debate over whether a particular policy is surnamed "capitalist" or surnamed "socialist". With admirable wisdom and firmness, he advised: "What is important is whether the policy works in improving people's livelihood." This is his famous dictum: "It doesn't matter if a cat is black or white so long as it catches mice."

My question to those who raised all the confusion is this: "Do you want to create problems or do you want to solve problems?" It should be clear to anyone with any sense that no set of laws is ever perfect, so perfect that it need not adapt to changing times. So, why should someone be labeled as not supporting the Basic Law simply because he or she raises some questions over whether a particular clause should be changed or should be interpreted with reference to the needs of the day?

Personally, I do take issue with Au's defense that he burnt a photocopy, not a real copy, of the Basic Law. The symbolic act of burning a copy of the Basic Law should be clear: He did not support the spirit of the Basic Law. This must not be confused with Lam questioning the appropriateness of Article 107 if interpreted as spending without the bounds of the given revenue intake. But I do respect the Basic Law. So I do respect the court's independent judgment in rejecting the judicial review.

I would also say Tai's suggestion that when he was criticized for comments he made in Taiwan that Hong Kong would be "in a state in which (words) can be incriminating". I do not think he will face a criminal charge over his words. People would indeed doubt his suitability as a law professor in an institution of higher learning in Hong Kong.

(HK Edition 06/12/2018 page8)Cross-border online platform to spur investment

By FAN FEIFEI ( China Daily )

Updated: 2018-06-11

A Russian buyer signs a receipt for the item he bought from Chinese e-commerce platform JD. [Photo/Xinhua]

The newly set up business-to-business (B2B) cross-border e-commerce platform will further trust and mutual cooperation and spur trade and investment ties between members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, analysts said.

In the technology sector, the B2B platform will utilize block chain technology, internet of things, cloud computing and big data to provide support for high-quality products in agriculture, energy, mechanical manufacturing and new materials.

However, more efforts are needed to boost the cross-border payment and settlement platforms and the credit and factoring systems along with steps to explore more financial products that are suitable for SCO members.

A government guidance fund also needs to be established for tackling the investment and financing needs of enterprises, they said.

In terms of standards formulation, relevant standards related to supply chain, food safety and production within the SCO countries also needs to be established.

In 2015, Premier Li Keqiang proposed the establishment of an SCO e-commerce alliance to facilitate transnational e-business. The alliance is expected to facilitate customs clearance of cross-border e-commerce and improve logistics capacity.

Moreover, the development plan of the first demonstration zone in Qingdao, which will also host the 18th SCO Summit, has been completed partially.

The zone will help to smoothen cooperation between the SCO countries and build a new platform for the member states to trade on a global scale. It will build overseas processing and assembly bases, logistics parks and cross-border e-commerce trade platforms to promote economic and trade cooperation among SCO members.

China's cross-border online shopping grew 23.5 percent to 6.3 trillion yuan ($953 billion) in sales last year, according to iiMedia Research, a market consultancy.

Market researcher eMarketer estimates by 2020, a quarter of the Chinese population, or more than half of China's digital buyers, will be shopping for cross-border products, either directly on foreign-based websites or through third parties.

"China's cross-border e-commerce is developing rapidly, and the logistics and freight transport system within the SCO countries has relatively improved, which in turn will boost economic and trade cooperation between China and SCO countries," said Lu Zhenwang, CEO of Shanghai-based Wanqing Consultancy.

Lu said the establishment of e-commerce alliance among SCO countries will further break trade barriers, admitting there are still challenges, for instance, due to different payment methods and settlement financing among the members.



China's Global Newspaper





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 A Tennessee woman has filed a lawsuit against NASA claiming that the moon dust she received as a child was a gift from Neil Armstrong.



According to documents filed with the U.S. District Court of Kansas, Laura Murray Cicco was about 10 years old when her mother presented her with the light grey dust in a small glass vial. The rubber-stopped container came with one of her father's business cards inscribed by the astronaut.



"To Laura Ann Murray, best of luck," wrote Armstrong, who added his autograph to the back of the card.



Cicco's mother told her the vial held "dust from the moon." According to her lawsuit, Cicco's father had been an Army Air Corps pilot who befriended Armstrong after moving to Cincinnati near the same time that Armstrong made history as the first human to walk on the moon in July 1969.



Armstrong joined the faculty at the University of Cincinnati after he resigned from NASA in 1971.



Almost 50 years later, Cicco has preemptively sued NASA "to settle ownership" of the alleged moon dust. The lawsuit aims to "remove a cloud on title" as pursuant to the federal Declaratory Judgment Act.







Laura Murray Cicco's moon dust vial came with one of her father's business cards signed by Neil Armstrong. (District Court of Kansas)

"Astronaut Neil Armstrong gifted the vial of lunar dust at issue to Laura Ann Murray, now Laura Murray Cicco, when she was a child, and she is the rightful and legal owner of the vial and its contents," the lawsuit claims. "Therefore, she requests judgment declaring her the rightful and legal owner of the vial and its contents, and vesting title in her name."



Cicco has retained Kansas City attorney Chris McHugh to represent her in the U.S. District Court of Kansas. McHugh previously represented an Illinois woman who successfully sued in the same court to gain ownership of a moon rock collection bag used on Apollo 11 and later mistakenly sold by the U.S. Marshals Service.



That bag sold at auction for $1.8 million in July 2017.



In April 2018, McHugh sent Cicco's dust-filled vial to a firm in Massachusetts that provides chemical analysis using X- ray fluorescence (XRF) spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction (XRD) spectroscopy.



"The mineralogy is consistent with the known composition of lunar regolith," Tom Tague, applications manager for the Bruker Corporation, wrote to McHugh.



Tague's tests though, suggested the sample was from the "anorthositic highlands and not the basaltic lunar mare," he wrote. Armstrong landed in Mare Tranquillitatis or the "Sea of Tranquility." It was not until later that missions landed at and returned samples from the lunar highlands.



Further, the XRF analysis revealed the dust was similar to the "average crust of Earth."



"We conclude that the chemical composition of the sample is not consistent with lunar regolith," added Tague.



In his conclusion, Tague explained that it might be possible that some dust from Earth had mixed "with this likely lunar sample," but acknowledged that was speculation.







Testing of Laura Murray Cicco's alleged moon dust revealed it was similar to the "average crust of Earth." (District Court of Kansas)

Cicco's filing postulates that "one possible explanation" is that the contents of the vial "were vacuumed or otherwise collected from the spacesuit of an astronaut who operated on the moon."



The astronauts were not permitted to keep loose samples of the material they returned from the moon. In 2012, a law was passed to clarify the rights of Apollo-era astronauts to retain the spacecraft hardware they kept as mementos, but it explicitly excluded "lunar rocks and other lunar material."



According to NASA, no individual has ever been gifted or awarded Apollo-gathered moon rocks or dust. The agency retains control over the lunar samples that the six landing missions collected, loaning them out for study, educational outreach and museum display.



The only gifts remain sets from the first and final landings, Apollo 11 and Apollo 17, presented as goodwill gestures to foreign nations and the U.S. states.



A separate 2014 case cited by McHugh as the standing for Cicco's lawsuit recognized NASA's contention "that private persons cannot own lunar material." McHugh argues there is no law against private persons owning material from the moon, that it is "not contraband," and "not illegal to own or possess."



Cicco's lawsuit does not include an explanation for how or why Armstrong came to have the alleged moon dust to gift to her. Armstrong died in 2012 at the age of 82.



The suit, filed on Wednesday (June 6), has been assigned to District Judge Eric Melgren.Questo comunicato e stato pubblicato piu di 1 anno fa. Le informazioni su questa pagina potrebbero non essere attendibili.

Global Dye Stuff Market - Competitive Analysis

With the entry of industry players in the Global Dye Stuff Market, a trend of solid, volume-driven growth has been observed in the market with the introduction of various varieties of dyes. With companies aiming to capture a considerable share of the market segment as early as possible, they are competing and experimenting with various advantage points. The best long-term growth opportunities for this sector can be captured by ensuring ongoing process improvements and financial flexibility to invest in the optimal strategies. With a positive trend observed due to use of modern technology, the supply can be considerably increased which allows exploration of newer markets and applications.

Key players of the Global Dye Stuff Market are Clariant International Ltd. (Switzerland), Lanxess AG (Germany), BASF SE (Germany), Orion Colorchem Industries (India), Setas Color Center (Turkey), Synthesia, a.s (Europe). Some of the other prominent market players are Synthetic Corporation (South Korea), Avocet Dye & Chemical Co. Ltd (UK), Arkema SA (Europe), Huntsman Corporation (Texas), and others.

Get Sample of Report @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/3235

Regional Analysis:

In geographical terms, Asia Pacific is the largest market of dye stuff due to demand in various industry such as textile, leather, and paper, in China region followed by India. Increasing demand for textile industry in the China, India, Taiwan, and South Korea has made Asia Pacific largest consumer of the global dye stuff market followed by increasing in the consumption of dye stuff market in Europe region. In Europe region, Dye Stuff Market is mainly drive by textile industry. In addition, the third largest market of dye stuff is North America region due to large consumption in textile, paper, and leather industry. Latin America and Middle East also witnessed in growth of dye stuff market due to various application such as textile dye, leather dye, paper dye, wood dye, and others.

Segmentation:

The Global Dye Stuff Market is majorly segmented on the basis of the form, composition, process, types, application, and region. Based on form, of dye stuff, the market is segmented into natural, synthetic dye stuff. Based on the composition of the dye stuff the market is segmented into the organic, inorganic dye stuff. Based on process of dye stuff the market is segmented into dispersed dye, direct dye, reactive dye, vat dye, acid dye, cationic dye, sulfur dye, and others. Based on types, of dye stuff, the market is segmented into azo dyes, cyanine dyes, nitroso dyes, anthraquinone dyes, and others. Further, based on the application of dye stuff, the market is segmented into textile dye, leather dye, paper dye, wood dye, and others. and based on the regional market is segmented into North America, Europe, APAC, Latin America, Middle East & Africa.

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At the Market Research Future (MRFR), we provide our customers to unearth the complexity of our industries through our Cooked Research Reports (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR) ), and Market Research & Consulting Services.

MRFR team have supreme objective to provide the optimal quality market research and intelligence services to our clients. Our market research studies by Components, Applications, Logistics and market players for global, regional, and country level market segments, enabling our clients to see more important questions.

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Market Synopsis:

Polymer Plasticizers or polyadipates are basically polyesters of aliphatic dicarboxylic acids. Polymeric Plasticizers are mainly used in PVC applications to enhance softness, flexibility, lower modulus values. Polymeric Plasticizers can be produced by mechanical mixing of a polymerizable monomer with a polymer, followed by polymerization, or by internal plasticization whereby a monomer is copolymerized with one which tends to yield soft polymers by itself. Polymeric Plasticizer has found in various applications such as adhesive, pigment, films, membranes, cables, and others. Increasing in demand of packaging industries is likely to drive the Polymeric Plasticizer Market growth. The growing construction and paint industry on account of developing domestic as well as commercial market particularly in Asia-Pacific and North America has boosted the Global Polymeric Plasticizer Market over the forecasted period.

Key Players:

Key players of the Global Polymeric Plasticizer Market are Eastman Chemical Company (US), BASF SE (Germany), E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company (US), LANXESS (Germany), Hallstar (US), Exxon Mobil Corporation (US), Evonik Industries AG (Germany), Teknor (US), Aekyung Petrochemical Co., Ltd. (South Korea), UPC Technology Corp (Taiwan), and others.

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Segmentation:

The Global Polymeric Plasticizer Market is majorly segmented on the basis of Application, End Users and Region. Based on application of polymeric plasticizer the market is segmented into adhesive, pigment, films, membranes, cables, and others. On the other hand, based on end user the market segmented into paints, packaging, automotive, construction, electronics, and other, and based on region market is segmented into North America, Europe, APAC, Latin America, Middle East & Africa.

Regional Analysis:

Asia Pacific is the largest market of Polymeric Plasticizer due to huge consumption of polymer plasticizers in packaging industry, in China region followed by India. Growing demand for packaging, construction, and paint industry in China, India, Japan, Taiwan, and South Korea has made Asia Pacific largest consumer of the Global Polymeric Plasticizer Market followed by increasing in the consumption of Polymeric plasticizer market in North America region. In North America region, Polymeric Plasticizer Market is drive by automotive, electrical and others industry. In addition, the third largest market of Polymeric Plasticizer is Europe region due to large consumption in paints, packaging, and construction industry. Moreover, Latin America and Middle East also observed in growth of polymeric plasticizer market due to various application such as adhesive, pigment, films, membranes, cables, and others.

Geographic Analysis:

The report covers brief analysis of geographical region such as North America, Europe, APAC, and Latin America, Middle East & Africa.

The report on the Global Polymeric Plasticizer Market by Market Research The future report contains a series of articles from various industries and key opinion leaders to a deeper insight of the market and industry performance. This report provides a clear picture of the current market scenario which includes past and forecast future market size in terms of value and volume, technological advancement, macroeconomics and governance in the market. Top of the key players in the industry. It also gives a broad study about different market segments and regions.

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About Market Research Future:

At the Market Research Future (MRFR), we provide our customers to unearth the complexity of our industries through our Cooked Research Reports (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR) ), and Market Research & Consulting Services.

MRFR team have supreme objective to provide the optimal quality market research and intelligence services to our clients. Our market research studies by Components, Applications, Logistics and market players for global, regional, and country level market segments, enabling our clients to see more important questions.

Contact:

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+1 646 845 9312

Email: sales@marketresearchfuture.comQuesto comunicato e stato pubblicato piu di 1 anno fa. Le informazioni su questa pagina potrebbero non essere attendibili.

Global Microkeratome 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





Global microkeratome 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: Microkeratome Market

Microkeratome is a precision surgical instrument which has an oscillating blade designed for creating a corneal flap for refractive related surgeries and also in LASIK and ALK surgery. The microkeratome is generally used to cut the cornea flap where it creates an 83 to 200 mm thick flap. The applanation head, or the plate, flattens the cornea in advance of the cutting blade. The length of the blade extends beyond the applanation plate, the clearance between the blade and the applanation surface determines the thickness of the flap.

Market Dynamics: Microkeratome Market

Increase in the prevalence of eye disorders is majorly driving the growth of the microkeratome market. The growing geriatric population along and rise in the technological advancements in surgeries are also influencing the growth of the microkeratome market. The growing awareness about the advanced treatment options among the patient pool fueling the market growth. However, the higher cost involved in the treatment may hinder the growth of the market. The dearth of skilled professionals and poor support from the government is likely to restrain the growth of the microkeratome market.

Free sample of this report is available upon request @

https://www.precisionbusinessinsights.com/market-reports/microkeratome-market/#ulp-4H8Z4LpNMLEuOnnx

Market Scope: Microkeratome Market

Microkeratome market is segmented based on application, product and end user

Based on the application, the market is segmented into the following:

 Epiretinal Membrane

 Diabetic Retinopathy

 Retinal Detachment

 Others

Based on the product, the market is segmented into the following:

 Disposable

 Reusable

Based on the end user, the market is segmented into the following:

 Hospitals

 Ophthalmic Centers

 Others

Free TOC of this report is available upon request @

https://www.precisionbusinessinsights.com/market-reports/microkeratome-market/#ulp-c654SbFYO64MsOhu

Regional Analysis: Microkeratome Market

Geographically, global microkeratome market is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East and Africa. North America microkeratome market is growth driven by increase in the prevalence of eye disorders. The growing age related eye disorders in the aging patient pool and higher adoptability of the modern advanced technological treatments and the affordability of the surgical procedures are driving the market revenue growth in the region. The European and the Asia pacific regions are expected to grow at significant rate over the forecast period due to developing healthcare infrastructure in this regions.

Ask Analyst for Full Information about this report @

https://www.precisionbusinessinsights.com/market-reports/microkeratome-market/#ulp-14mlyhjMGhVjZqa3

Competition Assessment: Microkeratome Market

Some of the players in the global microkeratome market include:

 Alcon, Inc. (U.S)

 Johnson & Johnson Vision Care (U.S)

 CooperVision (U.S)

 Bausch & Lomb Incorporated (U.S)

 Essilor International (France)

 Hoya Corporation (Japan)

 Carl Zeiss AG (Germany)

Notable Market Developments: Microkeratome Market

 In February 2017, Johnson & Johnson completed the acquisition of Abbott Medical Optics.

Get access to full summary @

https://www.precisionbusinessinsights.com/market-reports/microkeratome-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

Contact Person: Rajesh Babu

Role: Marketing Lead

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 Leukemia Treatment 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

Global leukemia treatment 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: Leukemia Treatment Market

Abnormal white blood cells beginning in the bone marrow of blood forming tissues results in a group of cancers collectively called as Leukemia. Leukemia is a cancer of blood-forming tissues in the body. Treatment of leukemia is done by blood transfusion, immunotherapy, bone marrow transplantation, radiation therapy and chemotherapy, biological therapy, targeted therapy, stem cell transplant. The drugs that are available in the market include the following: Gleevec, Bosulif, Sprycel, Iclusig etc. Bosutinib, omapro, quizartinib, graspa, and marquibo among others are the pipeline drugs under clinical trials yet to be launched with a promising potential to treat leukemia with minimal side effects.

Market Dynamics: Leukemia Treatment Market

The global leukemia treatment market is majorly driven by the increasing prevalance of the disease across the globe. Healthcare awareness among the people and rising research & development activities resulting in recent advancements of technology and therapeutics. The growth rate of global leukemia treatment market also depends on the pipeline drugs which are major growth drivers for global leukemia therapeutics market in near future. The factors restraining the growth of the market include the high price of combination therapies and lack of access in developing and under developed countries.

Free sample of this report is available upon request @

https://www.precisionbusinessinsights.com/market-reports/leukemia-treatment-market/#ulp-4H8Z4LpNMLEuOnnx

Market Scope: Leukemia Treatment Market

Leukemia treatment market segmentation based on the leukemia type

 Chronic leukemia

o Chronic Lymphatic Leukemia

o Chronic Myeloid Leukemia

 Acute Leukemia

o Acute Lymphatic Leukemia

o Acute Myeloid Leukemia

 Others

Leukemia treatment market segmentation based on therapy type

 Chemotherapy

 Biological Therapy

 Radiation therapy

 Targeted therapy

 Other

Free TOC of this report is available upon request @

https://www.precisionbusinessinsights.com/market-reports/leukemia-treatment-market/#ulp-c654SbFYO64MsOhu

Market Summary: Leukemia Treatment Market

Based on the epidemiological factors, leukemia is forecasted to be more predominant in whites when compared to people of other racial or ethnic groups due to high incidence and mortality rates. Furthermore, exposure to radiation with genetic and environmental factors play a prominent role in increasing the prevalence of leukemia. Generally, men are more likely to develop leukemia than women. The risk of leukemia is majorly associated with age. The occurrence of leukemia is high in men and women aging over 66 years. Adults, both men and women normally aged in between 75 to 84 are more prevalent to the different types of leukemia such as chronic lymphocytic leukemia, acute myeloid leukemia, and chronic myeloid leukemia. The prevalent rate of acute lymphocytic leukemia is high among 1 to 4 year old children and it is nearly eight times more than the young adults aging 20 and 24.

Regional Analysis: Leukemia Treatment Market

Geographically, global leukemia treatment market is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East and Africa. Americas leukemia treatment market is growth driven by increase in the prevalence of leukemia. According to NIH the number of new cases of leukemia was 13.7 per 100,000 men and women per year. The number of deaths was 6.8 per 100,000 men and women per year. Almost 1.5 percent of men and women will be diagnosed with leukemia at some point during their lifetime, based on 2012-2014 data. In the year of 2014, there were an estimated 387,728 people living with leukemia in the United States. The government and non-government organizations programs like patient assistance are also expected to fuel the market growth.

Ask Analyst for Full Information about this report @

https://www.precisionbusinessinsights.com/market-reports/leukemia-treatment-market/#ulp-14mlyhjMGhVjZqa3

Competition Assessment: Leukemia Treatment Market

Some of the players in the global leukemia treatment market include:

 F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd.

 Amgen

 Bristol-Myers Squibb

 Novartis International AG.

 Pfizer

 Teva Pharmaceuticals

 GlaxoSmithKline plc.

 Genzyme Corporation

 AbbVie Inc.

 ARIAD Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Get access to full summary @

https://www.precisionbusinessinsights.com/market-reports/leukemia-treatment-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

Contact Person: Rajesh Babu

Role: Marketing Lead

Email: sales@precisionbusinessinsights.com

Toll Free (US):+1-866-598-1553

Website @https://www.precisionbusinessinsights.comSTOCKHOLM, June 11, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- ASSA ABLOY has acquired HKC, a leading manufacturer of alarms and cloud based monitoring solutions, based in Ireland.

"I am very pleased to welcome HKC into the ASSA ABLOY Group. HKC offers a comprehensive portfolio of wired and wireless alarm products as well as monitoring solutions that in a very good way complements the ASSA ABLOY offering in the Irish market," says Nico Delvaux, President and CEO of ASSA ABLOY.

HKC was established in 1991 and has some 45 employees. The head office is located in Dublin, Ireland.

Sales for 2018 are expected to reach some EUR 18 million (approx. SEK 180 million) with a good EBIT margin and the acquisition will be accretive to EPS from start.

For more information, please contact:

Nico Delvaux

President and CEO

Tel. no: +46-8-506-485-82

Carolina Dybeck Happe

CFO and Executive Vice President

Tel. no: +46-8-506-485-72

About ASSA ABLOY

ASSA ABLOY is the global leader in door opening solutions, dedicated to satisfying end user needs for security, safety and convenience. Since its formation in 1994, ASSA ABLOY has grown from a regional company into an international group with about 47,500 employees, operations in more than 70 countries and sales of SEK 76 billion. In the fast-growing electromechanical security segment, the Group has a leading position in areas such as access control, identification technology, entrance automation and hotel security.

This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com

http://news.cision.com/assa-abloy/r/assa-abloy-acquires-hkc-in-ireland,c2544232

The following files are available for download:Remember how, weeks ago, you couldn't pull up Twitter without someone making a joke about "the most ambitious crossover event in history"? Luke Skywalker on The Muppet Show? The most ambitious crossover event in history. Scooby-Doo playing for the Harlem Globetrotters? The most ambitious crossover event in history. Donald Trump appearing in a McDonald's ad alongside Grimace? The most ambitious crossover ev- you get the idea.

We're a little late to the meme party, but we think we've unearthed a new contender for the title. A far-right rally wound up sharing sidewalk space with a buttload of naked cyclists in London.

The rally was protesting the imprisonment of Tommy Robinson, a far-right figurehead who was jailed last month for breaking a court-ordered media blackout by reporting on a child grooming trial -- a media blackout intended to stop right-wingers and other lunatics from disrupting proceedings and allowing the bad guy to walk free (which he nearly did). Robinson was subsequently arrested and, after pleading guilty, sentenced to 13 months of prison porridge.

His followers soon started a movement, "Free Tommy," campaigning for his release on the grounds that he was being politically persecuted, with one common refrain being that the police should be spending more time arresting the vague concept of "Muslim gangs." Y'know ... because they're violent thugs who don't follow the laws of the land. When asked if they'd ever stopped to consider the irony of this, his followers responded by asking whether irony was the thing that their crosses were made of.On this occasion, the British are as one with the other 27 member states of the European Union.

Along with his fellow European Ambassadors to the U.S., our own Sir Kim Darroch signed a joint open letter pointing out what fabulous trade there was between the EU and the U.S., and why President Trump was wrong to put it at risk with arbitrary tariff increases.

'Together,' said the ambassadors, 'the U.S. and the EU have created the largest and wealthiest market in the world  Nearly one-third of the world's trade in goods occurs between the EU and the United States alone.'

As the Foreign Secretary put it, the Treasury, its boss the Chancellor Philip Hammond  AKA Eeyore  and others of like mind in the administration 'don't want any disruption of the economy'

It went on to reassure the American readers of the letter (published in the Washington Post last week): 'The EU is the top destination for U.S. exports. This is a relationship, indeed a partnership, that other countries can only dream of.'

Wonderful. And it's all been achieved under the rules of the World Trade Organisation. Oh, wait  isn't that exactly the system under which the UK would trade with the remaining members of the EU if our negotiations with Brussels collapsed without agreement? Indeed it is.

Terrified

And yet Her Majesty's Treasury, as leaked private remarks from Boris Johnson confirmed last week, regards this outcome as an unimaginable catastrophe.

It is therefore prepared to give Brussels almost whatever it wants rather than end up with no deal  which, indeed, would result in significant disruption in the short term, as businesses on both sides sought to adjust to new circumstances.

As the Foreign Secretary put it, the Treasury (which he devastatingly described as 'the heart of Remain'), its boss the Chancellor Philip Hammond  AKA Eeyore  and others of like mind in the administration 'don't want any disruption of the economy'.

'The fear of short-term disruption has become so huge in people's minds that they've turned into a quivering wreck,' Johnson continued. 'Project Fear is really working on them. They're terrified of this nonsense.'

Project Fear was the name given to the Treasury's warnings, under then Chancellor George Osborne, of what would happen to the British economy simply as a result of a Leave vote in the referendum of June 2016.

As the economist Tim Congdon noted in Standpoint magazine last month, when you look at what has happened to the economy since we voted for Leave and compare it with what was forecast by the Treasury, 'it turns out that Project Fear was wrong by almost 5 per cent of GDP.

'Instead of employment falling by hundreds of thousands, it has risen by hundreds of thousands.

'Instead of the public finances lurching more heavily into deficit, they have been better than at any time since the Great Recession  above all, George Osborne's scary rhetoric about a return of the Great Recession now looks preposterous.'

Despite this colossal error in what was a Government White Paper (the work of Treasury officials, not merely propaganda from the Remain campaign), Project Fear lives on, its influence undiminished. So the Treasury made longer-term forecasts, warning of what will happen to the economy after we have actually left the EU.

The respected Cambridge University economist Dr Graham Gudgin, a founder of the academic think-tank Briefings for Brexit, has sent me his analysis of these long-term forecasts. It is eye-opening.

The Treasury claims that if we don't make a trade deal with Brussels, the British economy will, by 2030, be 7.2 per cent smaller than it would have been if we had stayed in the EU.

And yet Her Majesty's Treasury, as leaked private remarks from Boris Johnson confirmed last week, regards this outcome as an unimaginable catastrophe

But as Gudgin writes: 'Colleagues at Cambridge and Ulster Universities have replicated the Treasury long-term analysis and are the only research group to have done so. This exercise revealed two major flaws in the Treasury calculations.

'It assumed that all additional trade which the UK gained by being a member of the EU would be lost if we left without an agreement. It also assumed that no replacement trade would occur with non-EU countries.'

As if these arbitrary assumptions were not enough to tweak the forecasts in the most dismal direction, there was an even cruder downward shove in the Treasury model, because it assumed that the UK was an average European economy in respect of the proportion of its trade with the rest of the EU.

Contempt

But as Gudgin points out: 'This is extremely misleading because the UK is the only member (other than Malta) which does more trade outside the EU than within it. Some EU countries do as much as 90 per cent of their trade inside the European Union.'

Based on the reality of Britain's trading relationship with the EU, the true estimates of the potential for reduced growth as a result of 'no deal', are, according to the Cambridge and Ulster Universities analysis, a quarter of the Treasury's forecast. That is a huge discrepancy.

Admittedly, those were the Treasury's models in 2016, and it has since modified them (as well it might). But having dropped them and introduced a new forecasting model  which is turning out yet more bleak assumptions about the effect of 'no deal'  it has refused to tell Dr Gudgin's team exactly what its new model is, so it can't be subjected to proper independent analysis.

A request for the data under the Freedom of Information Act is in order.

It is essential not least because of the paralysing effect that the Treasury's analysis has on Mrs May's negotiations with Brussels. The Prime Minister has given up her previous mantra that 'no deal is better than a bad deal'.

The European Commission's man in charge of the Brexit talks, Michel Barnier, is treating the UK with the aggression and even contempt that any experienced negotiator would show to someone he knows will never walk away from the table: for example by insisting the UK agree a 39 billion 'departure fee', without any succeeding trade deal in place.

As even the Brussels correspondent of the vigorously anti-Brexit Guardian newspaper wrote last week, after Barnier cursorily dismissed Mrs May's latest proposals: 'The Commission's handling of Britain's requests can be rough to the point of dangerously rude, sometimes even self-defeating.'

Self-defeating

It would certainly be self-defeating for the member states which don't share the Commission's ideologically based determination to make an example of Britain for its impertinence in asking to leave.

Last week, a study by the Oliver Wyman consultancy concluded that a so-called 'hard Brexit' would cost French wine and cheesemakers hundreds of millions of Euros a year in lost business. And the chairman of the German car firm Audi said how concerned he was about the prospect of no deal. 'Great Britain is a very important market for us,' he insisted. 'We love to sell cars to Great Britain.'

Much has been made about the risks to Nissan's Sunderland plant (the most efficient in the world, by the way) if we left without a deal.

But the EU exports almost three times as many cars to us as we do to them. If barriers to this trade did emerge, and the prices of car imports went up significantly, then we might expect British customers to buy more British-made cars instead of German-made ones. Which would not be such bad news for Nissan in Sunderland.

And, if we do end up on World Trade Organisation terms with the EU (which I concede would be less desirable than a bespoke free trade deal), here's another seldom-stated fact.

Since the EU single market was inaugurated in 1993, the exports to it from mature economies such as the U.S., Canada and Australia have grown at a faster rate than ours have  even though they are not single market members and we are. Indeed, by 2011, for the first time since 1972, the value of U.S. goods exported to the EU exceeded that of the UK.

So those ambassadors had a great case to make to the American people about how wonderfully easy it was for the U.S. to trade with the EU under WTO rules.

Yet we are warned that the same arrangements would be an unmitigated disaster for the UK. Something doesn't add up.For 34 years the younger Lord Palumbo, founder of Ministry of Sound nightclub and independent music label, hasnt spoken to his father.

Even when Palumbo, 55, took his seat in the House of Lords in 2013 his father, made a peer in 1991, boycotted the ceremony. In 1995 Palumbo and his two sisters, Annabella, 56, and Laura, 50, successfully sued their father, whom they accused of plundering money from a 70m family trust.

The elder Palumbo, a former chairman of the Arts Council, had spent millions from the trust on vintage wine, classic cars, works of art, and two French chateaux.

For 34 years the younger Lord Palumbo, founder of Ministry of Sound nightclub and independent music label, hasnt spoken to his father

But I hear that the other day Palumbo junior, whose music business created a 350 million fortune, was entertaining his sisters to afternoon tea in the Lords. On a nearby table was their father with the Ukip peer Lord Stevens.

My mole, who was seated nearby, heard the music tycoon invite his father to join him and his sisters.

Initially their father refused, but was eventually persuaded by Stevens. My spy in the Lords then observed the three Palumbo siblings having what seemed to be an entertaining chat with Stevens, but their father never uttered a word. So bang goes any hope of a reconciliation.

Perhaps no one should be surprised by the reticence of Palumbo senior, 82, given he says so little in the Lords chamber.

In the past 20 years, hes spoken only twice  once for three minutes to pay tribute to Lady Thatcher on her death. He hasnt tabled a single written question, but found time to claim 60,000 in tax-free attendance allowances.

If and when the Lords undergoes long overdue reform, Palumbo senior should be one of the first in the exit lounge.

Lord Palumbo is the founder of Ministry of Sound nightclub and independent music label

Labour is seeking an 88,000 executive director for elections and campaigns. The last one left seven months ago. Why so long to replace him? The Tories have a seven-point lead, despite the chaos over Brexit. Maybe thats why?

Lady Nugee readies her coal face

Shadow foreign secretary Emily Thornberry will speak at next months Durham miners gala  a celebration of the Northern working class. Its a favourite of Lefties like Comrade Corbyn. The same Thornberry, aka Lady Nugee  her husband Sir Christopher is a High Court judge  was sacked from Labours front bench by Ed Miliband after her sneering tweet that showed a white van with England flags on the home behind it in Rochester, Kent. Where theres muck, theres a brass neck.

The troubled Labour Live event (nicknamed Jezfest) next Saturday was supposed to be 35 for adults, and 10 for 14 to 18-year-olds, accompanied by an adult. Yet Labours manifesto at the last election pledged to cut the voting age from 18 to 16. So youre considered old enough by Labour to vote in a General Election and join the armed forces, but not old enough to go alone to a naff music festival. Go figure.

At Prime Ministers questions each week, Dawn Butler, the shadow equalities secretary, occupies a favoured seat just to the right of Comrade Corbyn. But for how much longer?

Butler has just come back from a 14,000, nine-day junket to Los Angeles for the GLAAD media awards for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community. It was paid for by LBGT activist, businessman and Blairite, Anthony Watson, who gave 67,500 to MP Owen Smiths unsuccessful campaign to unseat Corbyn from the Labour leadership. Oops!

Spotted dining alone in Westminsters Portcullis House was the Tory MP Amber Rudd. When she was Home Secretary she was always accompanied by aides, officials, or ambitious backbenchers. The gallant Sir Mike Penning came to her rescue by inviting her to join his table. There is nothing so former as a former minister.

Thorpe still eyeing up MPs

Parliament is still haunted by the ghost of Jeremy Thorpe, whose attempt to bump off his gay lover Norman Scott was the subject of the BBC drama A Very English Scandal. A bust of the former Liberal Party leader is still on display in the Grimond Room at Portcullis House, where MPs roost at Westminster, named after his predecessor, Jo Grimond.

In fact, Thorpes last public appearance was on July 15, 2009, at the unveiling of the bust by the artist Avril Vellacott. Thorpe died in 2014.With 23 school shootings in the US since 2018 began  amounting to one shooting per week so far this year  the news that another school is on lockdown with an active shooter has become incredibly and devastatingly commonplace.

And many parents are heartbroken and horrified that that's the case, including Los Angeles mom Sarah Wine-Thyre, 49.

Last week, when the school that her 12-year-old daughter went into lockdown, Wine-Thyre decided to spotlight the sad new reality by tweeting her daughter's take on the whole thing.

Talking on Twitter: Los Angeles mother Sarah Wine-Thyre's tweets about her daughter's school have gone viral

Scary stuff: Her 12-year-old shared what it was like the day her school went into lockdown because of an intruder

Horrible: Her tween daughter said everyone was crying hand holding each other, and she and her best friend tried to keep themselves happy

'This afternoon, I received text alerts from my kids' school that they were on lockdown,' she wrote on Wednesday, June 6, later explaining that there was an 'unidentified intruder on campus.'

'I thought you might like to know what happens, from the perspective of my 12yo. I just picked her up from school and she was rattled and full of adrenaline.'

According to her 12-year-old daughter, 'A robot voice came over the speakers telling us to get into our classrooms. The teachers pulled down the blinds and made us crowd into the far corner of the classroom.

'We were all so scared and lots of kids were crying. My [best friend] and I were holding each other. I hugged a kid who was really scared and crying really hard.

'We thought we were going to die. I said just in case we die, let's remember all our good times. My [best friend] and I sang our favorite song to each other.'

Wine-Thyre added that she could see how distraught the kids were when she went to pick her daughter up.

'All the kids in the class were visibly shaken and giddy. They were still holding each other. I asked if they were given updates during the 45-minute ordeal,' she said.

Taking to the internet: Wine-Thyre was upset by the whole ordeal

Shhh... The tween sang quietly with a friend to keep themselves calm

Serious: The children were all still visibly shaken at the end of the school day

Horrifying: She said that though she was given updates from the outside, the kids were scared and left out of the loop

Sobering: She told her mom, 'We were all sure we were going to die'

Reality: Wine-Thyre takes issue with people who put gun rights above all else

Ending: She also described the terror the kids felt trying to hide

'No,' said her daughter. 'Everything was really quiet because they want it to seem like no one is there so the intruder goes away.

'We were all just crammed together for 45 minutes and then we heard helicopters overhead and we thought we were going to be bombed. THAT was even scarier.

'There was one spot where the blinds weren't down all the way and we kept staring at it expecting some man's face to look in and see us and come in and kill us. We couldn't stop staring at that window.

'We've done drills but we knew this was for real,' the pre-teen went on. 'We were all sure we were going to die, Mom. I'm so glad we didn't die.'

Wine-Thyre added that 'a child's experience of a lockdown is one of terror,' especially since they aren't given the same real-time updates as people on the outside.

'Plenty of people see this as "the price of freedom." It's appalling that we do this to kids,' she added.

After the ordeal, Wine-Thyre said she emailed her daughter's teacher to thank them, but even knowing her kid was safe didn't calm her down.

Appreciative: Wine-Thyre felt like she was 'gonna throw up' after and emailed the girl's teachers to thank them

Her kid: She was just as worked up as her daughter, if not more so

Change: She said they felt a real difference between a drill and the real thing

'I still kinda feel like I'm gonna throw up. I had more information about the nature of the lockdown that she did, but your parent mind just goes there,' she said.

Her tweet has now been liked over 17,000 times and received hundreds of replies, opening up a discussion about gun violence in school.

When one commenter compared lockdown drills  though Wine-Thyre's daughter's lockdown was real, not a drill  to nuclear bomb drills experienced by earlier generations, the protective mother said there was no comparison.

'The nuclear terror  which was real, I was terrified of nuclear war as a kid even though we didn't do drills  was distant and foreign. Lockdown drills and active shooter drills are coming from within, with no warning. There is a difference.'

She went on: 'It's manufactured crisis, not an act of god. Almost completely avoidable with common sense laws.

'The teachers in my family are constantly ruminating about how they will/would react in a school shooting situation, while they wonder about their own children's safety and lives. It's a nightmare calculus and would be unnecessary if we had decent laws.'

Collective horror: Other parents shared stories from their own children in response

Sharing: This dad's five-year-old says he and his classmates cram into the playhouse

Awful: This mom's four-year-old also had a lockdown this year

Protectors or educators? Teachers, too, feel the horror of the situation

Double horror: This teacher is worried for her students and her own child

Every week: This mother's 10-year-old son is afraid of being shot at school

In agreement: 'Nobody should have to go through that,' wrote this commenter

Only in America: This Brit pointed out that frequent school shootings are a uniquely American phenomenon

Dozens of other parents chimed in to share their own stories, recounting things their children said and did after experiencing a lockdown at their school.

'My daughter was in a lockdown drill,' wrote one. She has a processing disability and didn't understand what was happening. The teacher wouldn't explain. I got a series of terrified texts from her under a desk. When I got to the school they wouldn't let me in. It was hell.'

'My 5yo does active shooter drills but it's unnamed,' wrote one dad. He said that the little girl explained: 'We all cram into the playhouse, 27 of us there, and we have to be silent while the teacher stands by the door.'

'The thought of dead kids in that playhouse rips me apart,' he said.

'My son had his first lockdown drill in pre-K (hed just turned 4). The thought of my little fuzzy duckling and his friends with their tiny backpacks huddling under desks.... He had nightmares for weeks and didnt even understand what had happened,' another mother added.

'My niece is a teacher & she literally said to me yesterday, "I go to work every day with the knowledge that one day I may have to place my body between a child & a bullet,"' added another Twitter user.

Real: Also last week, a mother shared a photo of a nursery rhyme teaching kindergartners how to survive a school shooting

Earlier last week, another school's lockdown procedure earned international attention due to the heartbreaking way they include the children.

Inside a kindergarten class in Somerville, Massachusetts hangs a sign with a nursery rhyme, which teaches the kids what to do in case of an active shooter.

The rhyme, sung to the tune of Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star, was posted by a man named Georgy Cohen, and millions have found it disturbing.

It reads: 'Lockdown, lockdown, lock the door / Shut the lights off, say no more. / Go behind the desk and hide. Wait until it's safe inside. / Lockdown, lockdown it's all done. Now it's time to have some fun!''

Many people commenting on the poem compared it to their own childhoods, during which they said the worst they had to worry about at school was a fire drill.

'This should not be handing in my soon-to-be-kindergartner's classroom,' Cohen wrote, adding that she didn't blame the school, but the current climate.

Poster: Georgy Cohen posted a picture of the rhyme, which was hanging up in a kindergarten class in Somerville, Massachusetts

For children: The rhyme is sung to the tune of Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star

'The school is doing exactly what they need to be doing, and I am glad for it,' she said. 'My issue is with the political & cultural factors that brought us to this sad state. Please talk to your legislators about the need for gun reform.'

She and Somerville Public Schools declined to identify the school, but district officials confirmed it was the work of one teacher and is not used across all of the city's schools.

The Somerville district enrolls about 5,000 students in a suburb north of Boston.

In a statement, Superintendent Mary Skipper and city Mayor Joseph Curtatone applauded the teacher's creativity, but lamented that lockdown drills have become as common as fire drills.

'As much as we would prefer that school lockdowns not be a part of the educational experience, unfortunately this is the world we live in,' they wrote. 'It is jarring - it's jarring for students, for educators and for families.'

Scary: Many parents shared their outrage that the spate of school shootings had inevitably led to this kiddie song (pictured is the shooting at Santa Fe High School on May 18)

Just last month, in Santa Fe, Texas, a shooter opened fire in an art room, leaving ten dead and another ten injured (pictured, his classmates mourn)

There has been almost one school shooting a week, on average, since January. Most recently, two people were injured by a gunman at Noblesville West Middle School in Noblesville, Indiana

The most recent fatal shoot was at Santa Fe High School in Santa Fe, Texas, when a shooter opened fire in an art room, leaving ten dead and another ten injured.

There have also been fatal shootings at Great Mills High School in Lexington Park, Maryland (March 20), Huffman High School in Birmingham, Alabama (March 7), Central Michigan University in Mount Pleasant, Michigan (March 2).

Deaths also occurred at Marshall County High School in Benton, Kentucky (January 23) and Winston-Salem State University (January 20).

But the worst shooting this year took place in Parkland, Florida, when a 19-year-old former student began shooting students and staff members with a semi-automatic AR-15 type rifle. In that event, 17 people were killed, and 17 others were injured.



While most people keep the reasons for their affairs a secret, a 39-year-old businessman has revealed why he chooses to regularly, and unashamedly, cheat on his wife.

Ryan*, who is 'happily married' and has young children, said that while he has a 'great family', there are psychological and physical 'gaps' in his life that he simply cannot ignore.

'There is also the aspect of business travel and spending endless evenings and nights by yourself... you want someone to share those times with you,' he told FEMAIL.

Ryan said after being married for a while each of them started to take things for granted and the 'spark and mystery' of the relationship became 'elusive'.

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Ryan*, who is 'happily married' and has young children, said that while he has a 'great family', there are psychological and physical 'gaps' in his life that he simply cannot ignore (stock image)

'You do things in a monotonous fashion you don't always look forward to it.'

You can let go of some things with an affair partner that you wouldn't with your spouse.

Affairs are how Ryan brings the 'excitement' back into his life and he enjoys the thrill of seeking them out both on business trips and at home.

'You tend to look forward to the meet ups and rendezvous. Somewhere there is a charm in breaking the shackles and doing things that are taboo,' Ryan said.

'Call it the rebel in me or purely a human instinct.'

Ryan said that while he doesn't want to blame his cheating 'entirely on genes', he believes 'humans have had a cheating instinct for ages'.

Affairs are how Ryan brings the 'excitement' back into his life and he enjoys the thrill of seeking them out both on business trips and at home

Poll Is it ever okay to have an affair? Yes No Is it ever okay to have an affair? Yes 51 votes

No 365 votes Now share your opinion





Despite having regular affairs, Ryan does describe himself as 'happily married'... yet he has no plan to stop his 'adulterous activities'.

'A marriage comes with more expectations and adjustments which are not necessarily at the same level in an affair,' he said.

'I am not saying that set your bar low but just that you can let go some things with an affair partner that you wouldn't with your spouse.'

He believes this is why 'not all relationships culminate in marriage in the first place'.

Ryan started cheating just a few years into his marriage and said the best kind of affairs were those that happened 'naturally' with people he met.

He has also tried using dating sites for married people like controversial website Ashley Madison, especially after moving to a new country.

Despite having regular affairs, Ryan does describe himself as 'happily married'... yet he has no plan to stop his 'adulterous activities'

Why do men and women cheat? * The most common reason for infidelity cited by women is emotional satisfaction, while men cite sexual satisfaction * Affluent women are 8 per cent more likely to be unfaithful to their husbands than middle class wives, while the prevalence of infidelity for poor and rich men is equal * People who are unfaithful in one relationship are three times more likely to be unfaithful in their next relationship, compared to those who have not been unfaithful in the first one Source: Relationships Australia Advertisement

'I relocated to a new country and the earlier relations could not be pursued. In a new country with cultural differences it's harder to meet someone in a similar situation and get going,' he said.

'I can't just walk up to a woman with a ring on her finger and start chatting her up and get to an affair... I'd have a guilty conscience and just wouldn't be able to do it.

'I have met a few great women but none at a level that I had before.'

While Ryan does cheat for the thrill of it, he does admit that divorce is a costly process and that does come into play when he considers his future.

'There are costs associated with a broken marriage - emotional costs, kids and then the financial aspects of things,' he said.

'At the end of the day, I wish to continue with my adulterous activities.'

*Name changedSavannah Phillips stole the show at this year's Trooping the Colour ceremony - by covering Prince George's mouth while the national anthem was playing.

But an unearthed photograph from September 1990 shows how Prince Harry was in fact the original royal rule-breaker, covering cousin Princess Beatrice's mouth while on the Buckingham Palace balcony.

The picture shows a young Harry, on his sixth birthday, putting his hand over two-year-old Beatrice's mouth as they watched the Battle of Britain 50th Anniversary Parade nearly 30 years ago.

The cheeky young royals were joined on the balcony by Princess Diana, dressed in vibrant green, and other members of the royal family, including the Duchess of York.

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Prince Harry, pictured on his sixth birthday, was seen covering cousin Princess Beatrice's mouth on the Buckingham Palace balcony in 1990

It comes after Savannah Phillips covered Prince George's mouth on the balcony during Trooping the Colour on Saturday

It comes after a new generation of young royals stole the limelight at the Trooping the Colour ceremony on Saturday.

Savannah Phillips, the Queen's great-granddaughter, appeared unimpressed with Prince George's endless chatter and slapped a hand over his mouth to keep him quiet.

Seven-year-old Savannah, the daughter of Peter Phillips and granddaughter of Princess Anne, also made a shushing motion at little George.

It appeared the young prince couldn't contain his excitement as he watched the planes zoom overhead.

Young Harry was seen giving cousin Beatrice a sweet embrace while on the balcony for the Battle of Britain 50th Anniversary Parade in 1990

The pair were joined by other members of the royal family including Princess Diana and Princess Margaret (in blue)

The Queen also appeared on the balcony to watch the flypast, along with young Harry, who looked rather animated (front left)

But the Duke of Cambridge, standing behind them, looked unimpressed by the pair's antics on the balcony and gave them a very disapproving look.

Back in 1990 though, Diana seemed less concerned by young Harry's antics, as they also watched a fly past from the Buckingham Palace balcony.

During the event, Diana was seen doting on her son, who later sweetly embraced cousin Beatrice.

They were joined by the Queen on the balcony, along with King Baudouin of Belgium.

Eagle-eyed royal watchers were quick to pick up on the similarities between Savannah trying to shush second cousin George, and Harry covering Beatrice's mouth three decades ago.

Savannah shushed Prince George during Trooping The Colour at Buckingham Palace

Royal fans were quick to spot the similarities between Harry covering Beatrice's mouth and Savannah shushing George at the weekend

One wrote on Twitter: 'Prince Harry & Princess Beatrice vs. Savannah & Prince George. Runs in the family!'

Another added: 'History repeating itself! Blows my mind'.

Meanwhile, a royal fan account posted on Instagram: 'Yes, you have to start practicing early how to shut mouths..'

On Saturday, the Duchess of Cambridge had to step in when Princess Charlotte became overwhelmed by all the excitement.

The youngster burst into tears and had to be comforted by her mother, who tenderly picked her up and gave her a cuddle.

But ever the professional, little Charlotte quickly composed herself.

Peter Phillips, Savannah's father, is the only son of Princess Anne and her first husband Mark Phillips.

Like the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, he married his Canada-born wife Autumn at St George's Chapel in Windsor in 2008.

Princess Charlotte started crying as she was being held by the Duchess of Cambridge on the balcony of Buckingham Palace as her father watched the flypast overhead

Princess Charlotte and Savannah (left and second from left) gave the pilots a round of applause during the Trooping the Colour ceremony beside Prince George and Isla Phillips

Peter (centre) and Autumn Phillips with their children Isla (bottom left) and Savannah (bottom right) on the Buckingham Palace balcony with the Duke of Sussex (left)

Many social media users thought Savannah covering Prince George's mouth with her hand was the highlight of the Trooping The Colour ceremonyParis Hilton has launched a clothing collection just in time for summer, posing in campaign images in slit dresses, leopard print, popping colors, and even a tiara, in a throwback to her own early 2000s style.

The heiress, 37, collaborated with the online retailer Boohoo to design the new line. She can be seen in one of the promotional shots posing on the floor of a luxuriously decorated room, donning a pale yellow slit dress with a plunging neckline.

Another image sees Paris in a floor-length, leopard-print maxi dress, cuddling a chihuahua and wearing a tiara, in a revival of the style that became her signature more than a decade ago.

Designs: Paris Hilton, 37, collaborated with the online retailer Boohoo for a new collection

Going back: The heiress can be seen in a promotional image posing in a leopard-print maxi dress, cuddling a chihuahua and wearing a tiara, in a throwback to her early 2000s style

Snap: Another image features Paris in a pink and white outfit, dressed in a pink crop hoodie paired with a baseball hat and large hoop earrings, once again holding her favorite dog breed

Barbie-inspired: Paris rested on the white leather seats of a car to take this campaign shot, which sees her modeling a midriff-bearing top paired with pink pants and glam shades

Signature style: The heiress wore all leopard print, modeling the pattern on her dress as well as on her pumps, as she posed for this shot exemplifying the style she became famous for

A couple of other images feature Paris in while and pink outfits, once again wearing plenty of bling, with her favorite dog breed making another appearance.

Discussing her style inspiration, Paris told the DailyMail.com: 'I love Katy Perry's style. She always looks incredible in everything she wears and such cute fun style sense.'

As for her favorite fashion trend currently, the heiress said she is quite fond of 'neon colors and palm tree prints'.

'My collection is perfect for all occasions, parties, dates, work, school, the beach, clubs,' she added about her new line. 'It's very versatile.'

The collection, which is scheduled to launch on June 20, is comprised of 70 pieces, including both clothing and swimwear, WWD reported.

It will also feature pieces adorned with Paris' favorite slogans, including her famous catchphrase 'That's hot'.

Pieces will be available at prices ranging from $15 to $70 on the online retailer's platform, which Paris said she discovered on Instagram.

Fashionista: Paris lent her celebrity status to a fashion exhibit in Turkey on Sunday

Over the weekend, Paris lent her celebrity status to a fashion exhibit in Turkey.

She looked freshly tanned as she grabbed the mic to promote the Dosso Dossi Fashion Show on Sunday in the southern resort city of Antalya.

The savvy businesswoman and DJ wore a long eye-catching navy dress that showcased some of her back and shoulders to the press conference at The Land of Legends Theme Park.

Her gown was taken in at the waist with a thick black belt to highlight her slender curves, and the sheer pattern below the waist gave fans and photographers a slight peek at her toned legs.

The hotel heiress capped off the sexy ensemble with some black pumps, beautiful diamond jewelry and that California tan that she bought along with her from Los Angeles.

Strike a pose: Paris wore a navy dress that showcased her shoulders, back and toned legs as she walked the red carpet with Dosso Dossi Fashion Show CEO Hikmet Erasian

Savvy businesswoman: She grabbed the microphone and whipped up the audience

The work didn't end there for the former reality star, who walked the runway and modeled different designs.

Paris has been vocal about her love for Turkey and, apparently, the love and admiration are mutual.

In a statement to the Daily Sabah in Turkey, Hikmet Eraslan, chairman of Dosso Dossi Holding, said: 'We are preparing a show that will be talked about for a long time. Paris Hilton has become our first angel.'

The show, which is in collaboration with The Land of Legends Theme Park, started on Thursday June 7 and goes through Tuesday, June 12.

Pro at work: The former reality star also walked the runway and donned several designs

Bye bye: Following her Turkey trip, Paris will head to Ibiza and Milan with fiance Chris Zylka

This trip is both for business and pleasure as Paris and her fiance Chris Zylka, 33, will head to Ibiza; and from there it's on to Milan, Italy.

The couple has been on jet-set mode of late having recently spent time in St. Barths, where Paris watched her little brother Barron marry socialite Tessa Grafin von Walderdorff.

The next wedding in the family will likely be for Paris and Chris as they are reportedly looking to tie the knot in November with a ceremony in Beverly Hills.Advertisement

The Duke of Edinburgh turned 97 yesterday celebrating privately with family, but the celebrations continued in London today with a 41-gun salute.

To mark Prince Philip's birthday the Kings Troop Royal Horse Artillery fired a 41-gun salute in Hyde Park.

Dramatic pictures saw members of the King's Troop Horse Artillery make a grand entrance to the park, before firing the canons on Monday afternoon and then departing.

To mark the Duke of Edinburgh's 97th birthday the Kings Troop Royal Horse Artillery fired a 41-gun salute in Hyde Park

Dramatic pictures saw members of the King's Troop Horse Artillery make a grand entrance to the park, before firing the canons at on Monday afternoon and then departing

The 41 volleys are fired to mark special occasions for the royals including other birthdays and the anniversary of the Queen's accession to the throne in February.

Kensington Palace has paid tribute to Prince Philip with a touching Twitter message as he celebrates his 97th birthday.

The 97-year-old Duke enjoyed his birthday in private on Sunday after missing out on the Trooping of the Colour on Saturday.

Philip (pictured in February) turned 97 on Sunday and the palace has confirmed that the royal spent the day celebrating in private

The artillery was blessed with good weather as they set up to send out 41 volleys in the park on Monday afternoon

Tourists gathered around the spectacle, as the troops let off the deafening blasts in celebration of the Duke's 97th year

The palace tweeted: 'Wishing the Duke of Edinburgh a happy 97th birthday! #HappyBirthdayHRH,' alongside two images of Philip which have quickly racked up thousands of likes and shares.

Philip was officially succeeded as Colonel of the Grenadier Guards by his son, Prince Andrew, who rode for the first time during yesterday's parade.

A Buckingham Palace spokesperson confirmed that Philip would be spending the day privately on his first birthday since retiring after a lifetime of public service.

The nonagenarian has kept something of a low profile since conducting his final solo public engagement in August, the last of 22,219 attended since the queen ascended to the throne in 1952.

The 41 gun salute is a traditional way of marking royal occasions including the anniversary of the Queen's accession to the throne in February

However, he did attend the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle at Windsor Castle on May 19, despite undergoing a hip replacement on April 4.

Since retiring, he has spent much of his time at Windsor, west of London, and at the queen's private Sandringham estate in Norfolk, eastern England, with occasional visits to London.

He has also been spotted carriage driving - a sport he took up in the 1970s after stopping playing polo.

Although the duke has stepped down from public duties, his roles within the royal family continue.

While the Queen focuses on affairs of state, Philip is in charge of matters such as running the royal estates, and maintains a small office dealing with correspondence.Advertisement

On Friday Swedish nobility gathered in Drottningholm to welcome Princess Madeleine's youngest child Princess Adrienne at her christening.

And now to mark the occasion, the Swedish palace has released three elegant new portraits of the royals.

Madeleine, who turned 36 on Sunday, poses alongside husband Christopher O'Neill and of course 13-week-old Adrienne in the royal residence of Drottningholm Slott, near Stockholm.

The beaming mother-of-three cradles her baby daughter in her arms while her husband sits alongside her as they pose for Swedish royal photographer Erika Gerdemark.

Princess Madeleine and her husband Christopher O'Neill have posed alongside their youngest Princess Adrienne in celebration of her christening on Friday

The photo was taken on Friday with both parents and Adrienne dressed in their christening outfits.

The proud mother put on a glamorous display, wearing a 1,735 Giambattista Valli floral dress with a traditional flower crown, while Christopher looked dapper in a coat and tails.

Meanwhile Adrienne wore robes steeped in royal tradition; the lining of the gown has the names and dates of all its previous wearers embroidered on it and has been worn by each royal infant since Prince Gustaf Adolf first wore it in 1906.

In a second picture the couple pose firstly along side Madeleine's parents King Carl XVI Gustaf and his wife Queen Silvia and Christopher's mother Eva Maria Walter.

The couple pose in three new portraits at Drottninholm Palace including one with their respective parents King Carl XVI Gustaf and his wife Queen Silvia and Christopher's mother Eva Maria Walter (far right)

Princess Madeleine also poses for a solo portrait which was shared by the Swedish palace to mark her 36th birthday yesterday

In the third the family is joined by Adrienne's godparents consisting of Anouska d'Abo, Coralie Charriol Paul, Nader Panahpour, Gustav Thott, Charlotte Kreuger Cederlund and Natalie Werner.

Princess Madeleine also poses for a solo portrait which was shared by the Swedish palace to mark her 36th birthday yesterday.

Madeleine and husband Christopher christened their third child, a little girl named Adrienne who was born on 9th March and is tenth-in-line to the throne.

According to tradition, the young princess was baptised with water from a spring on the Swedish island of Oland, a custom implemented by the present king and queen, the child's grandparents.

Adrienne's birth in March was greeted by a 21-gun salute from Skeppsholmen in Stockholm, and from saluting stations in Gothenburg, Harnosand, Karlskrona and Boden.

In the third portrait the family pose with godparents (pictured left to right) Coralie Charriol Paul, Nader Panahpour, Natalie Werner, Anouska d'Abo, Gustav Thott and Charlotte Kreuger Cederlund

The princess's full name was officially announced in March by her grandfather King Carl XVI Gustaf in a Council of State meeting, who revealed she will be known as Adrienne Josephine Alice, the Duchess of Blekinge.

Madeleine and Christopher chose Adrienne as it's a name they love, the couple said.

Princess Adrienne was the third royal baby to arrive in the space of two weeks, when she was born at Danderyd Hospital in Stockholm in the early hours of 9th March.

In a statement, the Swedish Royal Court described the newborn as 'a healthy child' and said that 'mother and baby are doing well'.

'We are delighted with the new addition to our family,' Chris, 43, said in a statement. 'Leonore and Nicolas have their long-awaited sibling. They can't wait to meet their new baby sister.'

The new baby is a sibling for Princess Leonore, four, and Prince Nicolas, two, and is the latest in a spate of royal births.

Madeleine and husband Christopher christened their third child, a little girl named Adrienne who was born on 9th March and is tenth-in-line to the throne

Adrienne's christening ceremony was held at Drottningholm Palace Chapel just outside Stockholm on Friday morning

Princess Madeleine famously met her husband after fleeing to the US in 2010 with a broken heart; she crossed the Atlantic following the breakdown of her first engagement to Swedish attorney Jonas Bergstrom amid speculation that he had cheated on her.

Madeleine became known as Sweden's party princess during her early 20s, when she was frequently spotted at Stockholm's high-end nightclubs.

Countless column inches were also devoted to Madeleine's stylish wardrobe and glamorous lifestyle, but she now focuses on royal duties and raising her children.

Currently seventh-in-line to the Swedish throne, the keen equestrian and art history graduate shares Princess Leonore, four, and Prince Nicolas, two, with her husband, and welcomed Princess Adrienne on 9th March.

Madeleine is the youngest child of King Carl XVI Gustaf and his wife Queen Silvia, 74.

Drottningholm Palace, on the island Lovon outside of Stockholm, is the private residence of Sweden's royal family and Queen Silvia has previously claimed it is haunted by 'friendly ghosts'.

Located on an island in Stockholm's archipelago, has been the family's official residence since 1981 and was originally built in the late sixteenth century.

The royal family, whose role is ceremonial, remains hugely popular in Sweden and the monarchy enjoys widespread support despite the egalitarianism that otherwise characterises society in the Nordic country.Blake Lively and her husband Ryan Reynolds are back at it with their social media trolling after the actor posted a new commercial on his Instagram featuring his 'twin brother' Gordon.

The 41-year-old Deadpool star was announced owner and chairman of Aviation American Gin, a Portland based-Gin company. To celebrate World Gin Day on June 9, Ryan sat down for an interview with his 'twin brother' to discuss Father's Day and his new movie.

After the actor posted his commercial on Instagram, his wife Blake, 30, hilariously commented on the video. She wrote: 'S**t. Your brother is hot! I've made a terrible mistake...'

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Hilarious: Blake Lively, 30, trolled her husband Ryan Reynolds on Instagram after he posted his new commercial for Aviation American Gin

Dynamic duo: The couple, pictured at the Met Gala in 2015, is known for their witty commentary towards each other on social media

Roasted: Ryan Reynolds, 41, was grilled by his 'twin brother' Gordon in a new ad promoting his new gin company - Aviation American Gin

Of course, Ryan doesn't actually have a twin brother, and actually played the part of 'Gordon' himself, using the nearly three-minute promotion to show off his hilarious acting skills, while poking fun at himself.

But that didn't stop Blake from having some fun of her own about his new marketing campaign.

Ryan was quick to comment back and join in on the funny quips.

'You haven't made a mistake,' the actor responded. 'You've been living with him for over a year.'

The couple has previously trolled each other when promoting their other projects including Blake's newest film entitled A Simple Favor.

Ryan tweeted at his wife imploring her to tell him what happened in the movie since they are married.

'You can tell me. Were married. You once drove me to the hospital when you were giving birth. So... what the f**k happened to Emily??' Ryan asked on Twitter.

But the mother-of-two refused to give up the secretive plot. She responded: 'Oh darling, of all the secrets Im keeping from you, this should be the LEAST of your concerns... trust me.'

Family goals! Ryan and Blake, pictured at the actor's unveiling of his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, have two children together

Talented: Ryan doesn't actually have a twin brother (he's played by Ryan himself) but he used the nearly three-minute video to show off his acting skills

Ryan's new commercial started with Gordon hilariously making fun of his appearance (ironic, yes) right off the bat, But after the initial teasing, Gordon asked Ryan about his kids in anticipation of Father's Day on June 17.

'It's Father's Day - it's right around the corner,' Gordon said. 'So how are the kids? Children of celebrities always turn out normal, I'm sure they are going to be fine.'

It didn't leave much time for Ryan to respond and instead moved on to the next question or rather statement and said: 'So I hear Deadpool 2 is great - I haven't seen it yet.'

Ryan, of course, asked why he hadn't seen the movie but leave it to Gordon to come up with a cheeky response. He said: 'I was recently diagnosed with stage four I don't give a s**t - afraid it's terminal.'

Teased: Right off the bat, Gordon hilariously started making fun Ryan for his appearance

The kids are alright: Gordon then asked Ryan about his kids and said that he was sure they would turn out normal even if they were kids of celebrities

The conversation then shifted to his new business venture: Aviation American Gin with Gordon who said: 'You bought a gin company - that's so grown up of you.

'What about a monkey? A lot of celebs buy monkeys. Justin Bieber had a monkey, Bubbles.'

Ryan pointed out that it was Michael Jackson whom Gordon was referring to so Gordon immediately reverted the conversation back to gin.

Ryan said he bought the brand simply because it's the best gin on the planet, but Gordon wasn't having it and asked Ryan if he was the one who invented gin. And while Ryan is a wearer of many hats, the inventor of gin is not one of them.

And after Gordon chugged a glass of Aviation American Gin (here's hoping it was water), he asked Ryan if he was American (which one would think Gordon would know the answer to being his twin and all) due to the namesake of the brand.

Back at it: Ryan has been interviewed by Gordon before as part of his profile for GQ Magazine, Ryan at the Deadpool 2 Tokyo premiere on May 29

Ryan was born in Vancouver, Canada, and does not know how to fly a plane, which left Gordon wondering how many celebrities passed on the job before the company found Ryan.

But that turned out to be the tipping point for Ryan who moments later walked out of the interview leaving Gordon with just his thoughts and a bottle of gin.

This wasn't the first time Ryan has sat down for an interview with his 'twin brother' Gordon because two years ago, Ryan allowed himself to be interview by him as part of his profile for GQ Magazine.

And judging from the new ad, Gordon has only gotten meaner with time but at least now, Ryan will have some gin to hopefully make the insults hurt a little bit less.A woman has accused a Victoria's Secret employee of racially profiling her by calling the police on her and accusing her of shoplifting, because she is black.

Jovita Jones Cage, 23, says the incident began last week when she returned a bra to the lingerie store located inside the Carriage Crossing mall in Collierville, Tennessee, because an employee had previously forgotten to remove the anti-theft sensor.

This time, Jovita says the employee present that day checked her receipt and removed the sensor, after which Jovita told her to keep the bag because she was going to shop around the store some more.

Speaking out: Jovita Jones Cage, 23, has accused a Victoria's Secret employee of racially profiling her by calling the police on her and accusing her of shoplifting, because she is black

Location: She says the incident began last week when she returned a bra to the lingerie store located inside the Carriage Crossing mall in Collierville, Tennessee

Jovita told WREG she was going to try on some articles when she realized there was a police officer inside the store.

'The police officer walked straight up to me and slapped handcuffs on me,' she told the station.

Jovita also provided an account of the incident on Instagram, writing: 'I asked what was going on and he said he got a call I was shoplifting!'

The Howard University graduate, who has a Bachelor of Science in Biology and wants to be a plastic surgeon, told WREG the officer told her to 'put both of [her] hands behind [her] back, because [she] was under arrest for shoplifting'.

According to Jovita, it was the store manager who called the police, without talking to her.

'I think it was for the simple fact that I was black,' she said.

Jovita says the police officer searched her bag and saw she hadn't stolen anything, at which point he walked her outside and said she was banned from returning to the store.

'At this point, I'm traumatized and crying,' she added.

She says she complained to Victoria's Secret's corporate officer, after which a representative for the company offered her an apology and a $100 gift card.

Jovita says she has rejected the card, and has instead asked for justice for herself and for others.

'They're going to have to do more. I want justice not only for me, but for people everywhere. I hope after this, other victims of racial profiling will come forward,' she said.

'It's solidarity. It's not just about African Americans. It's about everyone being treated fairly.'

Authorities: The Howard University graduate says the store manager called the police without speaking to her, after which a law enforcement officer 'slapped' handcuffs on her

Jovita says the police officer searched her bag and saw she hadn't stolen anything, at which point he walked her outside and said she was banned from returning to the store

She says she has also lodged a complain with the NAACP about the police department and the store.

Victoria's Secret said in a statement that the employee involved in the incident is no longer working for the company.

'We are sincerely sorry for the experience Ms. Jones Cage had in our store. Bottom line, we made a mistake, and we do not tolerate this behavior. Our head of stores has been trying to reach Ms. Jones Cage to personally apologize for her experience,' the company told WREG.

'Victoria's Secret is adamant that all customers be treated with dignity and respect. We have investigated the matter, and the associate involved is no longer employed with our brand.

'In addition, we are meeting with every associate in the store to reinforce our values and policies. We are committed to delivering an excellent shopping experience to every customer, every time  we have work to do  and we are dedicated to this mission.'

DailyMail.com has reached out to the brand for additional comment.

Show: Jovita's complaint comes a few months after Victoria's Secret presented what was hailed as its most diverse runway show in two decades. Pictured is model Grace Bol

Event: Half of the models cast for the show, which took place in Shanghai in November last year, were Asian, Black, or Hispanic. Pictured are Leila Nda (left) and Zuri Tibby (right)

Changes: Last year's diversity was a step up from the previous year's event, during which only 30 per cent of the models came from diverse backgrounds. Pictured is Herieth Paul in 2017

Cast: One Wang (left) and Jourdana Phillips (right) were among the line-up of models last year

The incident comes as several businesses have been accused of racially profiling and calling authorities on customers.

Last month, Starbucks closed more than 8,000 stores to train around 175,000 employees against racial bias. The move followed the April 12 arrest of two black men in a Philadelphia Starbucks, which sparked outrage and protests.

Earlier that month, a 22-year-old black man was choked by police at a Waffle House in North Carolina after taking his sister to prom. It was the fourth incident at outlets of the restaurant to attract national attention in less than two weeks.

Jovita's complaint comes a few months after Victoria's Secret presented what was hailed as its most diverse runway show in two decades of existence.

Half of the models cast for the show, which took place in Shanghai in November last year, were Asian, Black, or Hispanic.

Most of the models featured during the event also came from foreign countries, including England, Brazil, Russia, Tanzania, France, and the Netherlands.

The diversity among last year's cast was a step up from the previous year's event, during which only 30 per cent of the models came from diverse backgrounds, Teen Vogue reported at the time.The divide between the Republican and Democratic parties may be widening, but Tiffany Trump put politics aside while partying with former Vice President Joe Biden's granddaughter Naomi over the weekend.

The 24-year-old first daughter took to Instagram Stories on Saturday to share a black and white photo of herself posed with Naomi, 23, as they hung out at The Surf Lodge in Montauk, New York, on Saturday.

Although it's unclear how close the two really are, they acted like they were old friends while watching Jaden Smith's Wold Ocean's Day performance.

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Close pals? Tiffany Trump, 24, shared an Instagram Stories photos of herself with former Vice President Joe Biden's granddaughter Naomi, 23, in Montauk on Saturday

Night out: The political progeny were watching Jaden Smith's Wold Oceans Day performance at The Surf Lodge

In the snapshot, Naomi is holding a plastic cup while she and Tiffany lean in and smile for the camera.

Tiffany, who just finished her first year of law school at Georgetown University, looked ready for summer concert season in a low-cut white and blue patterned dress and layered necklaces.

Meanwhile, Naomi sported ripped jeans and a white eyelet lace top that laced up the front. Both of them wore their hair loose around their shoulders, and Naomi had a pair of sunglasses sitting on top of her head.

A video shared by their friend Allegra Blinken shows Naomi giving Tiffany a kiss on the cheek as the group posed for the camera.

Looks like they're BFFs! A video shared by their friend Allegra Blinken (not pictured) shows Naomi giving Tiffany a kiss on the cheek

Strike a pose: Tiffany also posed for photos with Teddy Margules, Peter Brant Jr., Andrew Warren, Allegra Blinken, Alex Assouline, and Jesse Bongiov (from left to right)

All smiles: Tiffany and Andrew took a photo with their friend Danielle Naftali, daughter of Miki Naftali of Naftali Group

While Naomi was hanging out in the Hamptons over the weekend, her grandfather's niece Caroline Biden appeared in court on Monday after using a stolen credit card to to buy $100,000 worth of goods at C.O. Bigelow Apothecaries.

The New York Post reported that Caroline had her felony conviction tossed on Monday, and she was allowed to re-plead to the lesser charge of petit larceny as part of the plea deal she took in 2017. 

Tiffany and Naomi both graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 2016, and the ceremony was attended by Barack Obama's vice president and Donald Trump, who was running for president at the time.

In addition to hanging out with Naomi and Allegra, Tiffany also spent the day with designer Andrew Warren; socialite Peter Brant Jr.; art publishing heir Alex Assouline; Jon Bon Jovi's son Jesse Bongiovi; Danielle Naftali, daughter of Miki Naftali of Naftali Group; and Teddy Margules, son of Eric Margules, president and CEO of Margules Properties Inc.

Tiffany and Andrew are as close as can be, and she proudly shared a selfie she took with her best friend, writing: 'Since 3 years old.'

Boho chic: Tiffany looked ready for summer concert season in a low-cut white and blue patterned dress and layered necklaces

Fun weekend: Tiffany shared snapshots of herself with Andrew and a picture from the concert

Throwback? Earlier in the day, Andrew posted a snapshot of himself posed with Tiffany at East Hampton restaurant Il Mulino. 'Happy belated National BFD #IlMulinoMoments,' he wrote

Big day: Tiffany and Naomi both graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 2016

Family: Tiffany's dad, Donald Trump (right), attended her graduation ceremony with her mom, Marla Maples, (left) and his wife, Melania (second from left), while he was running for president

Political figure: Joe Biden was Barack Obama's vice president when he attended Naomi's graduation with is wife, Jill Biden

Political families: Tiffany is pictured kissing her father on election night in 2016 after he was named president-elect (left). Naomi is pictured in Istanbul her grandfather in 2016 (right)

She also posted a snapshot of herself cuddled up with Danielle and her French pug and a picture of the concert.

Earlier in the day, Andrew posted a snapshot of himself posed with Tiffany at East Hampton restaurant Il Mulino.

'Happy belated National BFD #IlMulinoMoments,' he wrote, tagging Georgica Pond as their location.

After spending the last few weeks in May in Washington, D.C. following her finals, Tiffany spent some quality time in New York city with her mom, Marla Maples, before jetting off to the Hamptons.

On Friday, Tiffany's 54-year-old mother, Marla, took to Instagram to share photos of herself posed with her daughter and friends at the Gramercy Park Hotel.

On her way out: Tiffany was seen leaving her New York apartment with her jewelry making kit in tow before heading to the Hamptons on Friday

Out and about: Tiffany's mom, Marla, took to Instagram on Friday afternoon to share photos of herself dining with her daughter

Having a laugh: The mother-daughter duo enjoyed a meal with friends at Gramercy Park Hotel

The mother-daughter duo was joined by Uruguayan-American musician Gabe Saporta, even planner Elvira Grau, and two men named David and Jim, respectively.

In the first snapshot, they are all posed and smiling for the camera, but the second is a blurry snapshot that shows them laughing together.

'Sharing friendship, family & amazing uplifting conversations... welcome back to #NYC Tiff, #DavidGhiyam and Gabe,' Marla captioned the images. 'David your class on Spiritual Proactive Confrontation was off the charts.

'Such a gift you have to help us all dig deeper and find greater peace in all situations life can bring us,' she added. 'Jim and Elvira your love and generosity always inspires! Miss you @erinfetherston.'

Marla also shared an Instagram Stories video of them walking into the restaurant.

Footage: Marla shared a video of them entering the restaurant (left), while Tiffany later posted a clip of the New York City streets while being driven by Park Avenue (right)

Family outing: The Friday before, Tiffany was seen boarding Marine One with her brother Donald Trump Jr. as they headed to Camp David with their father

Gang's (almost) all there: They were joined by their sister Ivanka Trump and her husband, Jared Kushner

'Ooh I love this. This is beautiful,' Marla can be heard saying in the clip, which she captioned: 'Following the light and my girl. Hey @gabrielsaporta and @ tiffanytrump.'

After their meal, Tiffany shared a black and white Instagram Stories video of the New York City streets while she was driven past Park Avenue.

Tiffany was later seen leaving her New York City apartment flanked by a plainclothes Secret Service agent as she made her way to the Hamptons on Friday.

The first daughter was dressed casually in a wrinkled gray T-shirt, black leggings, platform espadrilles, and a wide-brimmed black hat.

She had her overnight bag on one shoulder, her purse on the other, and she carried a clear container, which contained the beads and wires she uses to make jewelry.

The Friday before, Tiffany was seen boarding Marine One with her brother Donald Trump Jr. and her sister Ivanka, who was with her husband Jared, as they joined their father, President Donald Trump, for a weekend jaunt to Camp David.She is often referred to as one of Europe's most stylish royals, and Princess Sofia proved she is deserving of that title on Monday.

The Princess of Sweden looked effortlessly elegant as she arrived at a graduation ceremony at Stockholm City Hall this evening.

The wife of Prince Carl Philip opted for an on-trend tea dress in a shamrock green printed with a cream ribbon pattern.

Princess Sofia of Sweden looked typically glamorous as she attended a graduation ceremony in Stockholm on Monday

She complemented the cream in her dress with a pair of patent pumps in the same shade and other than a silver watch, did away with accessories.

Her famous brunette locks were worn loose in a tousled style and she opted for a makeup palette of soft nudes.

The mother-of-two is attending the Sophiahemmet University graduation ceremony tonight.

The institution - of which Sofia is Honorary President - held the event to celebrate this year's graduating class of nurses.

The mother-of-two is attending the Sophiahemmet University graduation where student nurses, dressed in traditional uniform, will receive their diplomas

Her famous brunette locks were worn loose in a tousled style and she opted for a makeup palette of soft nudes

She appeared in high spirits as she joined Sophiahemmet chairman Lars Kihlstrom Burenstam and director Johanna Adami outside the town hall this evening.

The students were dressed in their traditional nursing uniform, which they are required to do at ceremonial events.

Ahead of presenting their diplomas Sofia delivered an impassioned speech to the students on stage.

The Swedish royal family has a long established relationship with Sophiahemmet.

She appeared in high spirits as she joined Sophiahemmet chairman Lars Kihlstrom Burenstam and director Johanna Adami (pictured together) outside the town hall this evening

Sofia, who is a chairperson of the university, took to the stage where she gave an impassioned speech to this year's graduates

The Chairperson of Sophiahemmet is selected by the Swedish King, Carl XVI Gustaf who appointed Sofia in 2016 following the marriage to his son.

As the Honorary Chairperson of Sophiahemmet, Sodia participates in the University's graduation ceremonies.

Speaking of her role as chairmen Sofia previously said: 'Care is something we are all concerned with and in order to have good public health, we need good care.

'As honorary chairman, I intend to maintain the royal tradition found at Sophiahemmet.'A new study has revealed the biggest decorating faux pas, and it isn't just woodchip wallpaper you need to worry about.

A survey of 2,000 Brits, asked them to choose their top three 'furnishing fails' of the past 50 years, and found that the 1970s was the 'worst decade' for naff decor.

A total of 38 per cent said the 70s, when avocado-coloured bathroom fixtures and flying duck wall art were all the rage, were the worst.

A new study has revealed the biggest interior decor faux pas in Britain and the famous avocado suite comes in at number three

Closely behind at number four is floral or 'chintzy' furniture popular in the 1980s

A total of 22 per cent chose the 1980s as the worst decade, saying the pink bathrooms and fury loo covers were 'awful', with 19 per cent choosing the 1960s, where psychedelic patterns, lace doilies and clashing colour schemes were in fashion.

The remaining 21 per cent said that the 1990s, 2000s or this decade was the worst for decor at home.

Those quizzed were asked to pick the three 'worst offenders' in the poll by Samsung to launch its new QLED TV.

The ninth most offensive interior trend according to the survey is tribal carvings, masks and wall hangings

Fluffy toilet seat covers (left) are considered the biggest interior decor horror while carpeted bathrooms come in seventh

Taxidermy may have made somewhat of a comeback thanks to hipster interest in recent years but it is still considered the second most ugly decor choice

Coming in top was the furry toilet seat cover (44 per cent) beating avocado bathrooms which came in third at 32 per cent.

Other 'horrors' included animal prints, carpeted walls, beaded curtains, living room bars, bidets, round beds, shag pile carpets, TV cupboards, and wicker furniture.

Daniel Hopwood, President of the British Institute of Interior Design, said: 'I have lived through the 70s, 80s and 90s and seen interior design trends come and go and it's fascinating how our tastes have evolved over time.

'Toilet rugs, rag rolled walls and TV cupboards should all be consigned to the dodgy decor history books.'

Waterbeds have not been popular for years and the nation seems to agree that they should not make a comeback, coming in at number five

When it comes to walls, Artex (far left) rag rolled (centre) and stone cladding (right) are seen as a no-no for the nation

'As an interior designer I have spent my career trying to hide ugly big black televisions from ruining the style of peoples' living spaces.'

THE BIGGEST 'HOME DECOR HORRORS' 1 - Furry toilet seat covers - 44 per cent 2 - Taxidermy - 39 per cent 3 - Avocado bathrooms - 32 per cent 4 - Floral 'chintz' furniture - 28 per cent 5 - Waterbeds - 25 per cent 6 - Artex walls and ceilings - 25 per cent 7 - Carpeted bathrooms - 25 per cent 8 - Rag rolled walls - 23 per cent 9 - Tribal carvings, masks and wall hangings - 23 per cent 10 - Stone cladding - 19 per cent Advertisement

Robert King, of Samsung, said: 'We have never been more focused on the look and feel of our homes, and as large TV screens become more popular, consumers want technology that can almost become invisible and fit in with their decor choices.'

While they may be an eyesore, experts have previously suggested that unappealing fixtures and fittings could knock thousands off the value of your home.

Last year a study found that an avocado bathroom could knock as much as 5,000 off the value.

More than 300,000 British homes still feature avocado in their bathrooms  but three out of four people said that if they bought a house that had one, it would be the first thing to go.

Speaking in 2015 TV property expert Phil Spencer said: The UKs current view on home improvements and the most offensive styles is something every home improver should be aware of.

Over the years Ive learnt that simple is best and to keep improvements as neutral as possible.National Rose Day was on Saturday June 9, which brought out fans of the pink wine. One of those fans was social media star The Fat Jew who didn't skip a beat when it came to dressing up or rather dressing down for the occasion.

Born Josh Ostrovsky, 36, The Fat Jew was whose bathing suit said: 'Rose Cleanse' on the front and paraded through the streets of New York City wearing his suit that was of course, pink in honor of the wine.

But he wasn't the only one out celebrating in honor of rose because he was joined by model and actress Emily Ratajkowski, 27, who gave a sly smile for the camera while the Instagram star stood a few feet away.

Celebrate: Born Josh Ostrovsky, 36, The Fat Jew commemorated National Rose Day by parading through New York City wearing a bathing suit

Stylish: In one photo, The Fat Jew can be seen sitting on top of a convertible car, sporting his bathing suit

Celeb sighting: He was joined by model and actress Emily Ratajkowski, 27

Back in February, The Fat Jew was a witness at Emily's city hall wedding to her now-husband Sebastian Bear-McClard, 31, who also happens to be one of his best friends.

And while it's unclear if Emily celebrated her nuptials with a glass of rose, it's more than likely there was enough going around at the festivities on Saturday.

In one photo, The Fat Jew can be seen sitting on top of a convertible car, sporting his bathing suit, while holding a Babe Rose blowhorn and posing with a group of fellow rose-lovers.

And in more photos, the comedian and Instagram influencer can be seen riding in style while he cruised in the back of his convertible through the streets of New York City. He also he gave away free gifts to anyone wearing pink and with a good attitude.

Riding for rose: In more photos, he can be seen riding in style while he cruised in the back of his convertible through the streets of New York City

Posing with his posse: He posed for pictures with fans who were also out celebrating the occasion

This was the third annual National Rose Day parade and definitely not the first time, The Fat Jew has pulled out all the stops for the celebration.

Last year, armed with a giant rose flag, The Fat Jew turned heads as he took off through the city in a 'Runs on Rose' salmon-pink PT cruisersurrounded by costumed mascots Stacey and Babe, a bottle of White Girl Rose and a can of Babe Rose with Bubbles, who danced their way through the festivities.

He was even joined by a choir dressed in pink silk robes belting out hits by Bruno Mars, Katy Perry and Lady Gaga, as they stopped off at New York landmarks including Union Square and Washington Square Park.

But it's more than the festive parades that make rose and specifically Swish Beverages, the maker of White Girl Rose and Babe Rose, Pink Party Rose and Family Time Is Hard Pinot Grigio, that much more successful.

Repeat: This was the third annual National Rose Day parade and definitely not the first time, The Fat Jew has pulled out all the stops for the celebration

Famous: The Fat Jew made a name for himself in the world of pink wines when he launched White Girl Rose with Babe Walker as part of the Swish Beverages range

Wedding: The Fat Jewish (left) attended Emily's city hall nuptials to Sebastian Bear-McClard in February

Recently, Anheuser-Busch delved into wine territory after the company acquired a stake in Swish Beverages.

And it's no wonder why because Swish's Babe Rose, which was introduced in the summer of 2016, is the fastest selling canned wine in the industry.

Swish has even decided to expand its original Babe product (rose in a can with bubbles) to Pinot Grigio with bubbles, which will be the next product debuting at Swish.

The Fat Jew made a name for himself in the world of pink wines when he launched White Girl Rose with Babe Walker and created Swish Beverages in 2015, quickly gathering fans including the likes of Oprah Winfrey.When it comes to delicious, decadent, what-would-life-be-without-it chocolate, there are a few countries that quickly come to mind for having better stuff than the rest: Switzerland. Germany. Italy. And, of course, Belgium.

In 2017, Belgium was the second-biggest exporter of chocolate in the world, accounting for 11 per cent of exports and totalling $3 billion (behind only Germany, with $4.8 billion). That's especially something when one considers how small Belgium actually is compared to other high-volume exporters, like the US, Canada, France, and the UK.

But while that means you can pick up a box of Godiva just about anywhere, there's nothing like getting it right from the source  and Daily Mail Online has scoped out the best places to eat it, learn about it, and even make it in Belgium.

Choco-trip! Belgium is heaven for chocolate lovers  and Bruges (pictured) and Brussels are top tasting destinations

Real-life Willy Wonka: Dominique Persoone's store in Bruges is a must-visit

Persoone makes chocolates in fun and experimental flavors, like yuzu and pina colada

He also makes his chocolate straight from the bean, which he has grown on his own plantation in Mexico. Shoppers in Bruges can watch the process from behind glass in his shop

He has the beans brought in from his plantation, then ferments and roasts them on-site

He has several top-of-the-line machines where he grinds and mixes the chocolate. Persoone explained that Belgian chocolate is superior because of the grinding process

In addition to classic varieties  and his own take on a Twix bar  he also experiments with flavors like tomato, hemp, asparagus, sake, cilantro, saffron, cherry blossom, and apple

Wait, there's more! His shop has much more than just pralines and bars of chocolate

First, it's worth understanding what exactly it is that makes Belgian chocolate so superior  and why it's such a big exporter.

Chocolate has been in the country since the early 1600s, and in 1894, the government introduced the first laws requiring a minimum cocoa content. Other rules about added fats besides cocoa butter soon followed, and eventually, chocolate became a major part of Belgian culture  which contributed to producing a superior product.

'Chocolate became famous in Belgium, and the more famous it gets, the more people do it' Belgian chocolatier Dominique Persoone, who owns the The Chocolate Line in Bruges and Antwerp, told Daily Mail Online.

'And in Belgium you have chocolate schools  in other parts of the world that doesn't exist; you go to baking school or pastry school.'

It's also in the technique. Persoone explained that in the beginning of the 20th century, Belgium had engineers who built machines that grind cocao to be very thin, improving the texture and taste.

'If you can grind your chocolate thinner, the flavor is much better,' he said.

Nearby in Bruges, Pol Depla owns another top shop, Depla Chocolatier (pictured)

He also makes his chocolate straight from the bean, having a hand in the entire process once the beans are shipped from plantations in various countries

Depla agreed that the grinding process makes Belgian chocolate superior, giving it a better, smoother flavor

'In Switzerland, they only [fring]it for eight or nine hours. In Belgium, one batch will go for 16 hours,' he said

Depla also spearheaded the creation of Bruges' first official fair trade chocolate bar, Sjokla (pictured), which was released in April

Sjokla, Bruges' official fair trade chocolate Bruges declared itself a Fair Trade City in 2008, and introduced its first official fair trade chocolate bar this year. 'Bruges wanted to do something special for the tenth anniversary of being a fair trade city,' Pol Depla explained. 'They were searching for chocolatiers to make these bars, and I was already interested in fair trade, so it was a nice opportunity.' Thus 'Sjokla,' which is made with fair trade cocoa, was released in April. It comes in milk and dark chocolate varieties and can be found in several chocolate shops in the city. Depla  who has a fair trade license and sources beans ethically from Costa Rica, Cameroon, and the Dominican Republic  thinks it's important not only to have a hand in every aspect of his chocolate, but to do it in a way that benefits the communities that grow it. 'This can open the public's eyes to the fact that there are people who make the cocoa beans, and it's quite nice they get a better price,' he said. Advertisement

Pol Depla, who took over his dad's Bruges shop at 19, agrees: 'If you grind the bean very fine, you have a much smoother chocolate, and that makes it better.'

'We have different ways of crunching and grinding which makes cocoa powder come out of the bean and makes the chocolate more smooth,' he added. 'In Switzerland, they only do it for eight or nine hours. In Belgium, one batch will go for 16 hours.'

And then, naturally, there are the ingredients.

'For me, making chocolate is not difficult,' added Persoone. 'You buy good ingredients, you mix it, and you have good chocolate. It's simple.'

They also take it quite seriously. In addition to his shops and a factory in Flanders, Persoone owns his own plantation for growing cocoa beans in Mexico.

He then brings the beans over and goes through every step of the process himself, from fermenting to roasting to grinding to mixing. He has a grinder of his own invention  which only he can operate  and Indian spinning machines originally designed for making curry powder. From bean to bar, chocolate takes three days to make, and visitors to his Bruges shop can watch it being done on site.

Learn more: Belgium has several chocolate museums where visitors can learn more about how it's made and its history

Choco-Story has locations in Brussels and Bruges. There, curious chocolate lovers can get a crash course in cocoa

The breakdown: One feature is a breakdown of different kinds of chocolate and their makeup  with the opportunity to taste, of course

Choco-Story also hosts demonstrations, where a chocolate maker shows how to melt chocolate and fill molds properly (pictured: Lisa at Choco-Strory Brussels)

Brussels is home to Chocolate Village, another museum that explores the history of chocolate and how it's made. Pictured: an exhibition on chocolate sculptures of local landmarks

Chocolate Village looks at chocolate in culture, and also has a greenhouse with various plants you'd find on a chocolate plantation

Bring the kids! Downstairs are interactive learning tools that are great for children

Traveling to Belgium? Where to learn more...

While tasting the goods is certainly an important part of a chocolate-lover's trip to Belgium, there are also plenty of opportunities to learn more about its history and the process of making it.

Choco-Story, a museum that has locations in Brussels and Belgium, offers a bit of background, as well as a chance to taste the difference between milk chocolate, white chocolate, dark chocolate, cocoa butter, and 100 per cent cocoa.

They also put on demonstrations to show how chocolatiers make pralines (what are often called truffles in the US).

Brussels also has Chocolate Village, a kid-friendly museum a short taxi ride away from Grand-Place. There, visitors can explore interactive exhibits, watch a demonstration, check out a greenhouse with plants found on a cocao farm, and view sculptures of Brussels landmarks made entirely out of chocolate.

Laurent Gerbaud's shop in Brussels has a wide variety of pralines

Where to start? Gerbaud's favorites are chocolates with fruits and nuts

Many of his specialties are made with dark chocolate

Gerbaud also offers workshops on Saturday afternoons, which have to be booked in advance

Students of the workshop are taught how to make classes, and are also treated to a tasting

But for a really hands-on experience, chocolatier Laurent Gerbaud hosts workshops on Saturdays for 35 each at his Rue Ravenstein store.

There, visitors pour their own dark chocolate into molds, scraping off the top like the pros before shaking it to work out the bubbles. Then, they top the sweet squares with other ingredients like nuts and fruit.

They're also walked through a tasting with a plate of different dark chocolates meant to train the palette, including ones with pistachio, cranberry, orange, and fig.

Gerbaud told Daily Mail Online that chocolate is a lot like wine, with cocoa beans from different regions producing different flavors. He also explained that people tend to eat more chocolate when it's made with lots of sugar  so varieties that scale down on sugar actually leave nibblers more satisfied.

Neuhaus' flagship shop is located in the Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert in Brussels

Neuhaus was founded in 1857 by a Swiss chemist who'd been using chocolate in medicine to make it tastier

Many famous chocolate treats, including the praline, were invented on this spot

Though the original shop is in the shopping center, there are many others across the country (and around the world)

In Brussels' Sablon area, Wittamer has a bakery with a cafe, as well as a separate chocolate shop

Bring your stretchy pants! Wittamer sells beautiful chocolates, cakes, and pastries

Chocolate plays a major part in many of their desserts, which are all gorgeously crafted

Next to the cafe is a shop that sells only chocolate in pretty pink packaging

Wittamer is located in an area some call Chocolate Square because of all the chocolate shops

Budget-friendly: Leonidas also has a location in Sablon, as well as several other stores across the country

The brand is less expensive than many of the others but is still authentic and a local favorite  but it doesn't export

...And where to eat it

The top spots for going a bit cocoa-crazy are Bruges  which has its own official chocolate guild, as well as an official chocolate: the praline-and-cookies-filled Bruges Swan  and Brussels.

Besides Laurent Gerbaud, Brussels has quite a few big chocolate shops, some of which have expanded outside the region.

There's Neuhaus, which was founded in 1857 by a Swiss chemist who'd been using chocolate in medicine to make it tastier. The original shop is located in the Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert, which is the exact spot the praline was invented in 1912.

Many more stores can be found in ritzy Sablon, an area south of Grand-Place that some people refer to as the 'Chocolate Square' due to all its sweet shops. There, it's worth stopping at Wittamer, an upscale bakery with its own separate chocolate shop, all of which is done up in cheerful pink.

Leonidas offers more budget-friendly sweets that still stay true to Belgium's chocolate traditions. They're locally well-known for their white chocolate, though they carry milk and dark varieties, too.

Frederic Blondeel's gorgeous pralines come in lots of colors and flavors

Truffles on truffles: Frederic Blondeel is also located in Sablon, near Wittamer and Leonidas

So pretty, too! They have locations in France and Hong Kong as well

Sablon is also home to an outpost of French chocolatier Patrick Roger's store, where shoppers can buy pralines and delectable chocolate-covered almonds  as well as actual works of art made of chocolate.

Nearby is newcomer Frederic Blondeel  which, in addition to chocolate you eat, has a super-thick hot chocolate that is truly decadent.

One of the crown jewels of the square is Pierre Marcolini, who is known for super small  and super upscale  chocolates.

He has not one but two shops in Sablon, including one with an upstairs cafe that specializes in chocolate pastries. That larger location also features a gorgeously-decorated facade that changes from season to season  making it a perfect photo pit-stop.

Shoppers there can also put their palettes to the test, since the brand labels many of its chocolates with the name of the country where the beans were grown  since cocoa beans from Mexico can taste different from ones grown in Brazil or Java.

Picture-perfect: Pierre Marcolini has two different locations in Sablon, including this one with a decorated facade that changes with the season

Marcolini, who once worked at Wittamer, specializes in small chocolates

The larger location also sells cake, pastries, and ice cream, and has a place to sit and eat upstairs

The idea behind Marcolini's smaller treats is that when chocolate isn't loaded up with too much sugar, people naturally eat less of it and feel satisfied more quickly

Marcolini also has chocolates that are marked by the country that the bean comes from

A discerning palette can tell the difference between chocolates made from beans grown in Brazil, Java, or Madagascar

Over in Bruges, there are more than 65 chocolate stores in the historic center alone  but it's best to start at the aptly-nicknamed 'Chocolate Street,' a 450m stretch of road that starts around the Confiserie Pralinique to the south and ends at Persoone's store The Chocolate Line to the north.

The Chocolate Line carries everything from the super-traditional (like the DomiNIX, the chocolatier's own special version of Twix) to the super-experimental.

Flavors found there include beetroot, tomatoes, hemp, asparagus, lemongrass, sansho pepper, basil, sake, black olives, cilantro, saffron, bacon, yuzu, matcha, cherry blossoms, apple, and popping candy.

He also sells chocolate lipsticks, cocoa butter lip balm, plant seeds, a line of herbs grown by his wife, and chocolate shooters for sniffing chocolate, which he originally made for the Rolling Stones.

'I'm a cook and I fell in love with chocolate. Its fun to work and have your passion,' he explained.

Persoone's The Chocolate Line has locations in Bruges (pictured) and Antwerp

In addition to a large variety of chocolate, Persoone makes fun products like chocolate pills

He also created this huffing chocolate for the Rolling Stones

His shop has a mix of pralines in unique flavors and fun designs, like chocolate that can be written on

Double the chocolate: Depla Chocolatier has a chocolate shop attached to an ice cream shop

Other shops in Bruges includes Chocolatier Dumon (left), The Old Chocolate House, and Chocolaterie Sukerbuyc (which has chocolate in boxes that are made of chocolate, right)

Look out for this symbol, which shows that a shop is part of Bruges' official guild of chocolatiers

Pol Depla's store Depla Chocolatier is also in Bruges, and has been around since 1958 (chocolate 'is my blood,' he said).

The oldest artisanal chocolatier in the city, the shop sells truffles, pralines, and white manons, and displays sculptures of chocolate in his store window.

Dozens of other shops along the street, including Chocolaterie Dumon, The Old Chocolate House (which also has a restaurant that serves hot chocolate and waffles), and Chocolaterie Sukerbuyc (which offers chocolate in boxes that are also made of chocolate).

It's also worth looking out for crests hanging on stores that signify that they are members of the official chocolatier guild of Bruges  which promises that the treats inside have been produced locally and handcrafted.As more and more people in the UK turn vegetarian, the fast food industry is following suit.

KFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken) has revealed it will be looking to bring a meat-free menu to its stores in the UK by 2019.

The reveal came as KFC also announced new plans to cut the calories in its food, with the vegetarian menu one of its strategies.

KFC is planning on adding a new vegetarian menu to its UK stores by 2019, with testing currently ongoing

Research has revealed that around eight million Brits no longer eat meat and it seems the fast food giant is jumping on the trend.

KFC promises that any new menu will still have a 'great taste' and will still be coated in the fast food's signature blend of 11 herbs and spices.

However, the vegetarian recipe is still in its early development stages and is expected to be shared with some customers later this year.

In a statement, a KFC spokesman told MailOnline: 'We have recently announced our commitment to reduce calories per serving by 20 per cent by 2025.

KFC promises that any new menu will have 'great taste' and still use its signature blend of 11 herbs and spices

'That's why we're looking into vegetarian options that would offer the great taste of KFC to new and existing customers who are changing their dining habits.'

'The development of the recipe is still in its very early stages and so the options we're exploring in our kitchen are still top secret.

'Once we've perfected the recipe we aim to test with customers this year, and if all goes well we hope to launch a new vegetarian option in 2019.'



As well as exciting new vegetarian meals, the fast food giant previously vowed to cut down on calories in its food as it tries to create 'lighter' meals.

The fast food giant had also earlier pledged to reduce calories per serving by 20% by 2025

By 2020, KFC intends to introduce more lunch and dinner dishes under 600 calories.

It has also committed to launching only low or zero calorie carbonated soft drinks.

Victoria Robertson, Head of Food Innovation, KFC UK & Ireland said earlier: 'We know people are more passionate than ever about eating well, and we face a big challenge in shifting their perceptions of what we offer.

'We've done it before, though  the success of our Riceboxes has shown that our fans will go for lighter options from us.

'That said, we know any new menu and recipe changes will have to be just as tasty as today  our fans absolutely love our Original Recipe chicken, and we won't be changing the Colonel's secret recipe of 11 herbs and spices!

'This is about providing choice, and offering delicious, signature KFC taste that just happens to be lighter.'Doctors and nurses who make 'honest mistakes' while treating patients should not face prosecution, Jeremy Hunt said last night.

The Health Secretary accepted the main findings of a review into the use of gross negligence manslaughter charges for health workers amid concerns that fear of criminal proceedings was having a 'chilling effect' on the medical profession.

He said new rules will allow medical staff to learn from their errors without fear of prosecution.

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said that those who make 'honest mistakes' while treating patients should not face prosecution

But Mr Hunt also announced that, for the first time, every death in the NHS will be scrutinised by a new regime of 'medical examiners'. It means families should find it easier to receive answers about the death of a loved one.

The Health Secretary ordered the inquiry by eminent surgeon Professor Sir Norman Williams in February, after the outcry over the treatment of Dr Hadiza Bawa-Garba.

How public outcry followed junior doctor being struck off over sepsis death of boy Jack Adcock The death of six-year-old Jack Adcock from sepsis led to a public outcry after a junior doctor was struck off. Dr Hadiza Bawa-Garba was convicted of gross negligence manslaughter over mistakes she admitted making while treating the boy at Leicester Royal Infirmary in 2011. Jack, who had Downs Syndrome and a heart condition, was admitted with diarrhoea, vomiting and breathing difficulties. Hadiza Bawa-Garba Dr Bawa-Garba had recently returned from maternity leave and was alone in charge of the emergency department and acute childrens assessment unit. She admitted to making mistakes  including failing to ask a consultant to review Jacks condition, confusing him with another patient and briefly stopping resuscitation attempts, although the latter was found not to have contributed to his death. She received a two-year suspended sentence for gross negligent manslaughter in 2015. Nicola and Victor Adcock, parents of Jack But it prompted a furious nationwide outcry by doctors who claimed many of the errors made were systemic failures at the hospital, which was understaffed and experiencing delays to test results on the day Jack died. Dr Bawa-Garba has now been granted an appeal, which will be heard before the end of July. Advertisement

The trainee paediatrician was found guilty of manslaughter by gross negligence in 2015 over the death of Jack Adcock, six, at Leicester Royal Infirmary after he developed sepsis in 2011.

A tribunal ruled she should remain on the medical register despite the conviction but in January the General Medical Council succeeded in getting her struck off after taking the case to the High Court.

The GMC's actions angered many doctors, who complained that important issues raised by the case  including dangerous levels of understaffing and failures of IT systems  had been ignored.

In response, Mr Hunt said he would strip the GMC of the right to appeal against tribunal rulings.

Sir Norman's report, published today, calls for a 'clearer understanding' of when proceedings for gross negligence manslaughter should be brought in healthcare so practitioners are reassured that they will apply only in cases of 'very poor performance' and not 'honest mistakes'.

It also calls for the removal of the GMC's power to appeal against rulings of the Medical Practitioners' Tribunal Service, with challenges restricted to the Professional Standards Authority.

While accepting the findings, Mr Hunt has sought to reassure patients and their families that there will be improved scrutiny of deaths in the NHS.

He will introduce a system of medical examiners  senior doctors who will look at all patient deaths that are not referred to a coroner.

Officials said the changes would mean bereaved families will get more information about the circumstances of their loved ones' deaths while more data would be shared across the NHS to help prevent avoidable deaths.

Mr Hunt said: 'When something goes tragically wrong in healthcare, the best apology to grieving families is to guarantee that no one will experience that same heartache again.

'I was deeply concerned about the unintended chilling effect on clinicians' ability to learn from mistakes following recent court rulings, and the actions from this authoritative review will help us promise them that the NHS will support them to learn, rather than seek to blame.'

Sir Norman said his recommendations would support a 'just and learning culture' in healthcare.

'A clearer understanding of the bar for gross negligence manslaughter in law should lead to fewer criminal investigations which are limited to just those rare cases where an individual's performance is so 'truly exceptionally bad' that it requires a criminal sanction,' he said.

'This clarity together with an understanding by the investigatory authorities as to the complexity of modern healthcare in which the individual operates should help to dispel the real fear felt by healthcare professionals who are concerned that in the well-intentioned discharge of their duty they may be subject to criminal or regulatory processes.'Swiss voters have backed plans to block foreign betting sites in a bid to control the industry and curb addiction.

Early results of a referendum indicate that an overwhelming majority of almost three quarters (73 per cent) support what would be one of the strictest gambling regimes in Europe.

The Gambling Act, which is set to take effect next year, will allow only casinos and gaming companies certified in Switzerland to operate in the country, including on the internet.

Swiss voters have backed plans to block foreign betting sites in a bid to control the industry and curb addiction

The vote spells a crushing defeat for opponents, who warned that the restrictions are worthy of an authoritarian state, and amount to censorship of the internet.

According to Addiction Switzerland, some 75,000 people in a nation of 8.3million suffer from gaming addiction, costing society more than half a billion Swiss francs (380million) annually.

Early results of a referendum indicate that an overwhelming majority of almost three quarters (73 per cent) support what would be one of the strictest gambling regimes in Europe

Bern also wants all of the companies proceeds to be taxed in Switzerland.

The crackdown comes amid growing concerns about gambling addiction in the UK and the growing power of online betting firms  some of which are registered abroad.

They include online gaming giant 888, which is registered in Gibraltar.A 24-year-old woman is one of the youngest in the UK to have a double mastectomy after seeing her mother and eight other relatives battle cancer.

Esther Taylor, from Preston, Lancashire, has an unidentified mutation that puts her at high risk of both breast and ovarian cancer.

She does not carry the BRCA, or 'Angelina Jolie gene'. The Hollywood actress had a double mastectomy in 2013 after losing her mother, grandmother and aunt to the disease. The gene left her with a 90 per cent risk of developing cancer.

Knowing she faced a probable diagnosis, Miss Taylor underwent the grueling nine-hour operation last March.

Prior to the procedure, the paediatric nurse had a 'Bye Bye Boob' party with her colleagues from Royal Blackburn Hospital.

Miss Taylor, who is unsure if she wants children, says she will also consider having a hysterectomy in the future to reduce her risk of ovarian cancer.

Despite her confidence taking a battering and many telling her she was too young to do something so drastic, Miss Taylor is happy with her decision and hopes to live a healthy, cancer-free life.

At just 24, Esther Taylor became one of the youngest women in the UK to have a double mastectomy after seeing her mother and eight other relatives battle cancer

Miss Taylor (pictured in hospital) has an unidentified mutation that puts her at high risk

She had the surgery after her mother Patsy Fennin (pictured) was diagnosed in her 40s

Miss Taylor does not carry the BRCA, or 'Angelina Jolie gene'. The Hollywood actress had a double mastectomy in 2013 after losing her mother, grandmother and aunt to the disease

What is the BRCA gene and how does it affect people's risk of cancer? Having a mutated BRCA gene - as famously carried by Angelina Jolie - dramatically increases the chance a woman will develop breast cancer in her lifetime, from 12 per cent to 90 per cent. Between one in 800 and one in 1,000 women carry a BRCA gene mutation, which increases the chances of breast and ovarian cancer. Both BRCA1 and BRCA2 are genes that produce proteins to suppress tumours. When these are mutated, DNA damage can be caused and cells are more likely to become cancerous. The mutations are usually inherited and increase the risk of ovarian cancer and breast cancer significantly. When a child has a parent who carries a mutation in one of these genes they have a 50 percent chance of inheriting the mutations. About 1.3 per cent of women in the general population will develop ovarian cancer, this increase to 44 percent of women who inherit a harmful BRCA1 mutation. Advertisement

'A cancer diagnosis in the family no longer shocked me'

Speaking of her choice to have the operation, Miss Taylor, now 25, said: 'It was a difficult decision, it is scary, it is painful, it is risky and it is emotional, but ultimately it is brave, it is beautiful and it is life changing.

'A lot of people I have told think I'm "too young" to make this sort of decision, but if you knew you were living with a high risk of developing breast cancer and you had a choice to significantly reduce the risk, then why wouldn't you?'

Miss Taylor learnt she was at high risk of developing breast and ovarian cancer after having a blood test.

Her decision to have the procedure came after her mother Patsy Fennin was struck down with cancer in her 40s.

Miss Taylor said: 'My mum comes from a big family, I have sadly lost many members of my family to cancer and the majority of aunts and uncles that are still alive have suffered cancer, too.

'It suddenly hit me, there came a time when a cancer diagnosis in the family no longer shocked me.

'I think at that point I realised it was a complete injustice to all these family members dying if I didn't do something about it.

'Ultimately, I didn't want the deaths of those so close to me to be for nothing. I wanted to celebrate them with life.'

The paediatric nurse is pictured at her 'Bye Bye Boob' party before she had the procedure

Miss Taylor (with her mother) said cancer diagnoses in her family are no longer shocking

She had the operation so the relatives she lost to cancer would not die for nothing

Miss Taylor insists the procedure was not cosmetic, saying 'these are not my boobs'

The grueling nine-hour procedure left Miss Taylor needing multiple drugs and monitors

WHAT IS A DOUBLE MASTECTOMY? A double mastectomy is the removal of both breasts. This is a way of treating breast cancer and is often done to women who are at a high risk of the disease returning after therapy. The treatment may also be suitable for women who are unable to have radiation therapy, have a tumour larger than 5cm across or have a mutation, such as in the BRCA gene, that increases their cancer risk. Most women stay in hospital for one or two nights but are able to return to their regular activities within around four weeks. Side effects can include pain, swelling, a build up of blood or fluid at the surgery site, limited arm movement and numbness in the chest or upper arm. After surgery, some women may wish to have the breast mound rebuilt to restore its appearance in breast reconstruction surgery. Some patients may require other treatment after a mastectomy such as radiation, chemo or hormone therapy. Source: American Cancer Society Advertisement

'I have days when I wish I'd never done it'

Although her surgery scars are healing, Miss Taylor admits the procedure has knocked her confidence and she finds her appearance a little 'alien.'

She said: 'I went for a very like-for-like look, same size boobs and shape.

'This for me was never a "boob job" or a cosmetic decision. These aren't my boobs.

'I have a long way to go until I can accept that and my confidence has really taken a hit - more people than I can count have seen my boobs now.

'I do have days of regret when I think I wish I'd never done it.

'I'm only halfway there to living a cancer-free life. I'm not totally rid of the risk yet but every day I think I'm living life for those people.'

Hannah Fitzpatrick, from Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire, is the youngest Briton to have a double mastectomy after undergoing the procedure at just 19 years old following two of her cousins being diagnosed with breast cancer in their 20s.

Find out more about how to prevent breast cancer here.

Miss Taylor, a paediatric nurse, is pictured on her first day back at work after the procedure

Miss Taylor (pictured after) sometimes regrets the surgey, however, she stands by her decisionThis is the heartwarming moment a 19-month-old girl who has spent her whole life in hospital due to a rare syndrome sat up by herself for the first time.

Gracie Heater has Apert syndrome - a genetic disorder that causes a fusion of bones in the skull and spine, which can inhibit the brain's development.

Gracie has survived 12 serious surgeries, including one to separate her fused skull bones to allow her brain to grow.

Despite everything she's been through, Gracie's parents described the toddler as a 'ball of life' - but admitted it is unlikely she will reach her tenth birthday.

Gracie Heater has Apert syndrome - a genetic disorder that causes a fusion of bones in the skull and spine, which can inhibit the brain's development

Gracie was diagnosed with the condition, which strikes one in 100,000 babies, when her mother Saskia Hansen, 25, went into premature labour at seven months.

Doctors at St Luke's Presbyterian Hospital in Denver, Colorado, delayed her labour for four weeks until she delivered Gracie.

After she was born, Gracie was rushed to intensive care, where doctors discovered her respiratory system was also deformed and placed her on a ventilator.

The toddler was born with a twisted trachea and a narrow right bronchi, the passage which connects her lung to her airway.

A month after her birth, Gracie was transferred to Seattle Children's Hospital, where she has been an inpatient for the past 18 months.

Ms Hansen and Gracie's father Rick Heater, 40, a former marine, said their daughter's determination inspires them every day.

Gracie was diagnosed with the condition when her mother Saskia Hansen (pictured), 25, went into premature labour at seven months

Doctors at St Luke's Presbyterian Hospital in Denver, Colorado, delayed her labour for four weeks until she delivered Gracie (pictured with her mother)

Mr Heater said: 'We know that as a family Gracie will probably not live to see her tenth birthday. That is a difficult thing to live with but you just turn into parent mode in a way.

'Our favorite moments are the ones where we've snuck her out of the hospital just to see the flowers.

'We want her to have these experiences while she still can because we know she won't be here for very long.

'The little things end up being the most important things. Gracie is such a happy child. I have only seen her cry once in 18 months.

'She lights up the room. She's such a ball of life which makes the realities of her condition even harder.'

The couple have been celebrating Gracie's achievements, including the moment she sat up for the first time and when she attempted to stand.

After she was born, Gracie was rushed to intensive care, where doctors discovered her respiratory system was also deformed and placed her on a ventilator

The toddler was born with a twisted trachea and a narrow right bronchi, the passage which connects her lung to her airway

Mr Heater said: 'When Gracie has moments like this all you feel is pride because when she was born doctors didn't give us much hope.

'She's overcome so many obstacles. Sometimes I well up thinking about everything that she has achieved.'

When Gracie was diagnosed in-utero, her parents said they were overwhelmed when they began researching the condition.

Mr Heater said: 'When we first discovered Gracie had Apert's we spent days upon days researching, pouring over medical journals.

'It was terrifying. The syndrome is so rare that unless you have a child with Apert's you're probably never going to know about Apert's.

'We never felt pity for Gracie. We only ever felt determined for her. We wanted to be the driving force behind her, to make her life as easy as possible.'

A month after her birth, Gracie was transferred to Seattle Children's Hospital, where she has been an inpatient for the past 18 months

She has survived 12 serious surgeries, including one to separate her fused skull bones to allow her brain to grow

Ms Hansen and Gracie's father Rick Heater, 40, a former marine, said their daughter's determination inspires them every day

WHAT IS APERT SYNDROME? Apert syndrome involves abnormal growth of the skull and the face due to early fusion of certain sutures of the skull. Children with the condition have bulging eyes that are usually wide-set and tilted down at the sides. They usually have problems with teeth alignment due to the underdevelopment of the upper jaw. Some have cleft palate. Among other anomalies, children with Apert syndrome have webbed fingers and toes. Early surgery can relieve the pressure that builds up inside the fused skull as the brain grows. It affects one in every 100,000 babies. Advertisement

In September, Gracie faces her most complicated surgery yet, which will help rectify her twisted trachea which her mother Saskia said will help prolong her life for five years.

Ms Hansen said: 'The options were to do nothing and get maybe a year and a half with her because her airway is not big enough to support her or to do this risky surgery and we could get up to five years with her.

'It is hands down the hardest discussion we have ever had and there was a lot of research and uncertainty and chaos.'

The parents and daughter Teegan, three, moved to Seattle, Washington, from Denver for Gracie's ongoing medical care.

The parents, who set up Gracie's House Charity in her honor, dream of one day bringing their daughter home.

They said: 'The doctors have hope that she might be able to come home eventually.

'We know her time is short but we would love to be able to give her as many normal life experiences as possible.'

To donate to Gracie's charity visit here.

Despite everything she's been through, Gracie's parents (pictured together) described the toddler as a 'ball of life'

The couple have been celebrating Gracie's achievements, including the moment she sat up for the first time and when she attempted to standA toddler who was expected to die moments after being born with severe facial deformities is approaching her third birthday.

Doctors advised Helianny's mother Soleannys Lugo, 34, to terminate her pregnancy after four-month scans revealed the youngster was 'incompatible with life', yet Miss Lugo 'decided to give her a chance to live'.

According to Miss Lugo, her daughter was born with 'a crown embedded in her head' due to unusual bone protrusions.

While in the womb, Helianny's brain, eyes and nose failed to develop properly, as well as her suffering a cleft lip, clubbed foot and fused fingers.

Cruel strangers say Helianny, who has an unclear diagnosis, is a 'horrible thing' and should have been aborted for being 'ugly'.

Yet, Miss Lugo said she was filled with love and admiration for her daughter the moment she saw her, adding: 'I believe Helianny came to this world to teach us not to give up'.

Helianny's parents, from San Cristobal, Venezuela, are speaking out to raise money towards future surgeries that should enable their daughter to walk, talk and be as independent as possible.

Toddler Helianny (pictured with her mother Soleannys Lugo, 34, and father Henry Buitrago, 30) was expected to die moments after being born with severe facial deformities

The toddler, who is approaching three, was thought to be 'incompatible with life'

Scans taken shortly after Helianny's birth revealed fluid had filled the cavities in her brain, which led to her suffering from a swollen skull. This can also cause brain damage

WHAT IS HYDROCEPHALUS? Hydrocephalus is a build-up of fluid in the brain, which can damage tissue. Aside from an abnormally-sized head, other symptoms can include headache, nausea, vomiting, confusion and vision problems. Hydrocephalus' cause is usually unknown but may be due to issues with cavities in the brain or an underlying health problem that affects blood flow, such as heart disease. It can also be acquired by damage to the brain due to a head injury, stroke or tumour. Treatment is shunt surgery, which involves implanting a thin tube into the brain to drain away excess fluid to another part of the body where it can be absorbed into the bloodstream. If untreated, hydrocephalus can be fatal due to increased pressure compressing the brainstem, which is responsible for regulating heart rates and breathing. A patient's prognosis after surgery depends on their age and general health. Source: Brain and Spine Foundation Advertisement

'Helianny came to this world to teach us not to give up'

Speaking of when she discovered her daughter's deformities, Miss Lugo said: 'From the beginning doctors diagnosed the non-compatibility of Helianny with life. They always recommended termination of the pregnancy.

'Even though we were told she was a vegetable, I assured them she was not because she kicked me.

'She responded to stimuli, when I talked to her she responded with kicks and she liked instrumental music, she moved a lot with all of this.

'I decided to give her a chance to live. I loved her with my soul and with all my heart.'

Speaking of seeing her daughter after she was born at 39 weeks via C-section, Miss Lugo added: 'She had a cleft lip, her eyes were not formed, her nose was not visible, her brain was not completely formed, with a clubbed foot and hands without fingers.'

The youngster also had hydrocephalus, which causes fluid to fill cavities in the brain, leading to a swollen skull and likely brain damage.

Miss Lugo added: 'I would compare Helianny's appearance back then to a "supernatural queen" because she had a crown embedded in her head.

'The three protrusions on her head looked like a crown, she had no eyebrows, no eyelashes, very pronounced veins on her head that seemed to burst and pink skin colour in her eyes, where her eyeballs should be.

'Her nose was completely stuck to the skin with only two nasal holes, one very small and the other slightly larger. But even so I perceived her beauty then and still do to this day.

'I consider my little girl a true warrior of life, a fighter. A winner in all of the battles that she has had to fight.

'I believe Helianny came to this world to teach us not to give up, to stop complaining about nonsense, to live one day at a time, to be grateful with what we have.'

While in the womb, Helianny's brain, eyes and nose failed to develop properly

The youngster (pictured as a baby) was born with a cleft lip, clubbed foot and fused fingers

Pictured at a few months old, Helianny was left to die in peace shortly after her birth

Her parents are fundraising towards surgeries that should improve Helianny's quality of life

Baby was left to 'die in peace'

Speaking of what happened after her C-section, Miss Lugo said: 'When I woke up I was in recovery and my baby was in another hospital unit, they had given her father holy water to baptise her and let her die in peace.

'The next day I went to where she was and when I saw her for the first time, I said "My Helianny is a warrior".

'I took her hand and told her, "if you're still here it is for something big and rest assured we will be here to support you and accompany you on this long road".

'I reminded her how much we loved her and how important she was and is for us.'

Speaking of her daughter's recovery, Miss Lugo said: 'The first few days I did not want anyone to see her, while I was accepting what was happening.

'I did not want her to be seen as an alien or for anyone to pity her.

'A few days after I accepted she was different. I do not regret having her and I love her so much that if I had to remake the decision I would do it all again.

'Many people bless Helianny and wish her a good future, we always appreciate that.

'There is also a minority that attacks me, saying that I was irresponsible to have continued with the pregnancy.

She added: 'They say that I did not think about the future of Helianny and that if I should have stopped to think what will happen to her when neither her dad nor I are here.

'I try to ignore those comments, but of course I think about that. Currently, we live for today and take everything one day at a time.

'Nobody knows the future, meanwhile we will continue to work tirelessly so that Helianny can be as independent as possible.'

Cruel strangers tell Miss Lugo her daughter is 'ugly' and a 'horrible thing'

Miss Lugo says no one can predict the future and Helianny may one day be independent

The youngster has spent a lot of time in hospital, where she has undergone four surgeries

'Many people stare and whisper'

Despite the family contending with cruel comments from strangers online and in person, they refuse to hide away.

Miss Lugo said: 'We have always tried to include Helianny in all of our activities and when we go to the supermarket there are many people who look surprised, some stare and others just whisper.

'Through social networks I've been told many awful things, like why I didn't have an abortion, that she came to this life to suffer, that she had to die and that she is a horrible thing.

'On one occasion we attended a party in a park that a friend organised and among the children I was approached by a child and he asked us why she was born so ugly.

'He didn't give me time to respond, a girl who was nearby heard his comment told him "you are the ugly one" and she calmly said that Helianny was "beautiful".'

'She teaches us not to give up'

To date Helianny has undergone four surgeries. The first two drained fluid from her brain, while the third relieved her club foot and the fourth helped with her cleft lip.

Her family are fundraising for future surgeries that will improve her quality of life and repair some of her facial deformities.

Miss Lugo said: 'In the future I hope we can achieve the funds to perform the necessary surgeries.

'I dream of seeing Helianny walk, talk and be as independent as possible so her only limitation is what she limits herself to.

'I thank God every day of my life, Helianny has life, strength, tenderness, perseverance, optimism and she is an angel.

'Helianny came to this world on a great mission of life, to show us that we complain about so many insignificant things and forget to be happy.

'She teaches us not to give up and to fight but without ceasing to be an angel.'

Donate here.Four siblings from a poverty-stricken family in Pakistan are slowly being 'turned into stone' by a rare skin disease.

Habibullah Bhatti, 19, Mehrunisa, 15, Nasebullah Bhatti, 10, and Khairunisa, six, all suffer from epidermolytic hyperkeratosis, doctors believe.

The condition, which strikes around one in 200,000 people worldwide, has caused a thick layer of skin to grow over their hands and feet.

The two brothers and two sisters, who have seen multiple doctors - but to no avail, are now no longer able to wear any sandals or shoes because of the pain.

Parents Nazir Bhatti, 50, and Abida Ali, 48, are concerned for their children's future as there is no cure for the bizarre condition.

But help could be on hand for the poor family after a police officer stumbled across the siblings and landed them an appointment with a skin specialist.

Habibullah Bhatti (left), 19, Mehrunisa (right), 15, Nasebullah Bhatti (second from left), 10, and Khairunisa (second from right), six, all suffer from Epidermolytic Hyperkeratosis

Nazir said: 'Three years ago, my youngest daughter, Khairunisa, got affected by a strange disease.

'A thick layer of skin grew on her feet which started getting tougher like stone within few months.

'We took her to a local faith healer who gave her some paste to apply on her feet. But within six months, three of my other children got affected with this condition.'

Medical literature states, however, that epidermolytic hyperkeratosis is present at birth.

As a precautionary measure, Nazir and Abida sent their three other children, who were unaffected by the condition, to their maternal grandmother's home.

The siblings have to walk barefoot even in the winter when temperatures in Sujawal - 83 miles (135km) east of Karachi - can drop to 3C (37F).

Nazir added: 'They can't wear shoes or socks. It is very difficult for them to walk during hot summers and cold winters barefoot.

The condition, which strikes one in 200,000 people worldwide, has caused a thick layer of skin to grow over their hands and feet (pictured: Habibullah Bhatti and Nasebullah Bhatti)

The two brothers and two sisters, who have seen multiple doctors - but to no avail, are now no longer able to wear any sandals or shoes (pictured: Mehrunisa and Khairunisa)

Parents Nazir Bhatti, 50, and Abida Ali, 48, are concerned for their children's future as there is no cure for the bizarre condition (pictured: the feet of one of the siblings)

'Sometimes they are in such a pain that my wife and I have to put water on their feet after every hour to soften their skin.'

Nazir told local reporters that they have taken their children to several doctors but nothing has helped improved their condition.

He said: 'We consulted several doctors and local faith healers, who prescribed different ointments but nothing has improved in the lives of my children.

'Their skin is getting only tougher day by day. We are concerned about their future as they can't go to school, do any work.'

Nazir, who works in a small restaurant as a chef and earns the equivalent of 3 a day, said he can't afford take his children to any bigger hospital for treatment.

He added: 'With my earnings, I'm hardly able to feed my family.

As a precautionary measure, Nazir and Abida sent their three other children, who were unaffected by the condition, to their grandmother's home (Nazir pictured with his children)

The siblings have to walk barefoot even in the winter when temperatures in Sujawal - 83 miles (135km) east of Karachi - can drop to 3C (37F) (pictured: the feet of one of the siblings)

A police officer Fida Hussain Mastoi has decided to help Nazir, after a local volunteer shared pictures of his children with him on Whatsapp (pictured: the hands of one of the siblings)

'I don't have the money to afford the travel expenses and take my children to any bigger hospital in Karachi or any other big city.'

A senior police officer Fida Hussain Mastoi has decided to help Nazir, after a local volunteer shared pictures of his children with him on Whatsapp.

The officer revealed he was moved by the plight of the siblings and has already approached a senior skin specialist in Karachi for their treatment.

Mr Fida Hussain said: 'When I saw the pictures of these poor children, I was devastated what they have to go through in these years.

'I've showed the pictures to a senior skin specialist in Karachi who believes the siblings are suffering from Epidermolytic Hyperkeratosis.

'I've fixed their appointment with the doctor and I hope things will change for them very soon.'

The officer revealed he was moved by the plight of the siblings and has already approached a senior skin specialist in Karachi for their treatment (pictured: the feet of one of the boys)

Nazir said: 'Three years ago, my youngest daughter, Khairunisa, got affected by a strange disease. A thick layer of skin grew on her feet which started getting tougher like stone within few months' (pictured: Khairunisa's sister, Mehrunisa)Almost three quarters of residents living in a rural village in Vietnam are carrying a super strain of E. coli, scientists claim.

Nguyen Xa - 68 miles (109km) south east of the country's capital Hanoi - is home to less than 8,000 people.

But 71 per cent of those living there harbour E. coli bacteria in their stomachs that is resistant to colistin - a last-ditch antibiotic.

Japanese doctors who discovered the spread of the colistin-resistant E. coli warned the situation 'requires urgent public health attention'.

Colistin-resistant bugs have already been spotted in the UK, US, Europe and Asia in recent years because of the overuse of the drug in animals.

Nguyen Xa - 68 miles (109km) south east of the country's capital Hanoi - is home to less than 8,000 people. But 71 per cent of those living there harbour E. coli bacteria in their stomachs that is resistant to colistin and several more antibiotics

Antibiotic resistance is considered one of the biggest threats to humanity and has been cited as severe as terrorism and global warming.

Around 700,000 people already die yearly due to drug-resistant infections including tuberculosis (TB), HIV and malaria across the world.

But some experts estimate superbugs will kill ten million people each year by 2050, with patients succumbing to once harmless infections.

Researchers conducted their study of Nguyen Xa in the Thai Binh province between November 2017 to February 2018.

Japanese doctors who discovered the spread of the colistin-resistant E. coli in Nguyen Xa (pictured from Google Earth) warned the situation 'requires urgent public health attention'

Researchers conducted their study of Nguyen Xa (pictured from Google Earth) in the Thai Binh province between November 2017 to February 2018

WHAT IS ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANCE? Antibiotics have been doled out unnecessarily by GPs and hospital staff for decades, fueling once harmless bacteria to become superbugs. The World Health Organization (WHO) has previously warned if nothing is done the world is heading for a 'post-antibiotic' era. It claimed common infections, such as chlamydia, will become killers without immediate solutions to the growing crisis. Bacteria can become drug resistant when people take incorrect doses of antibiotics or if they are given out unnecessarily. Former chief medical officer Dame Sally Davies claimed in 2016 that the threat of antibiotic resistance is as severe as terrorism. Figures estimate that superbugs will kill 10 million people each year by 2050, with patients succumbing to once harmless bugs. Around 700,000 people already die yearly due to drug-resistant infections including tuberculosis (TB), HIV and malaria across the world. Concerns have repeatedly been raised that medicine will be taken back to the 'dark ages' if antibiotics are rendered ineffective in the coming years. In addition to existing drugs becoming less effective, there have only been one or two new antibiotics developed in the last 30 years. In September, the WHO warned antibiotics are 'running out' as a report found a 'serious lack' of new drugs in the development pipeline. Without antibiotics, C-sections, cancer treatments and hip replacements will become incredibly 'risky', it was said at the time. Advertisement

They took stool samples from 98 healthy participants living in 36 households to look for the presence of colistin-resistant E. coli.

The new study found colistin-resistant bacteria in 71.4 per cent of residents. All of the strains spotted were then identified as E. coli.

All but one of the samples possessed either mcr-1 or mcr-3 - two genes which can disable colistin.

Dr Yoshimasa Yamamoto, who led the study, presented the findings at the annual meeting of the American Society for Micriobiology in Atlanta.

'It is a remarkable finding from a public health viewpoint that most households... had colistin-resistant E. coli carriers,' he said.

'Thus, this requires urgent public health attention.'

Modern farming techniques have been blamed for the emergence of antibiotic-resistant strains of E.coli, campylobacter and salmonella.

Common bugs that make animals sick are mutating to become resistant to the antibiotics that farms use to eradicate them.

E. coli most often causes diarrhoea, but there are a few strains that can prove fatal. The most common way to catch the infection is through ingesting contaminated food or drink.

Antibiotic resistance, in which bacteria evolve to fight off drugs, is rapidly becoming seen as the biggest crisis facing modern medicine.

Desperate health chiefs have taken the matters into their own hands over concerns once harmless bugs could mutate and become killers.

It comes after several scientists warned in November 2015 that the world was hurtling towards a 'post-antibiotic' era when they identified bugs resistant to colistin in both patients and livestock in China.

Just a month later, Public Health England and the Animal and Plant Health Agency discovered samples of the same resistance on same farms and in humans. It has already been discovered in other parts of Europe and Africa.

The US reported its first case of a patient with a bug that is resistant to colistin in May the following year. The 49-year-old woman from Pennsylvania recovered.A five-year-old girl was left temporarily paralyzed and unable to speak after she was bitten by a tick.

Jessica Griffin said her daughter, Kailyn Kirk, fell out of bed when she woke up for school on Wednesday morning but she just assumed the little girl's legs were asleep.

However, as Griffin was brushing her daughter's hair, she noticed that Kailyn's speech was slurred. That's she found a tick and a bite on her scalp.

Griffin, from Grenada, Mississippi, rushed her daughter to the emergency room where doctors diagnosed the little girl with tick paralysis, caused by a neurotoxin found in the bug's saliva.

Doctors reassured Griffin that once the tick was removed, Kailyn's symptoms would be resolved between 12 and 24 hours - which they were.

Now Griffin is sharing her story in hopes of warning parents to check for ticks because not catching he bugs soon enough could lead to respiratory failure and, in some cases, death.

Kailyn Kirk, five (pictured), from Grenada, Mississippi, was left temporarily paralyzed and unable to speak on Wednesday after she was bitten by a tick

Her mother, Jessica Griffin, was brushing her daughter's hair when she saw the bite on her scalp (left). She put the tick in a Ziploc bag (right) and rushed Kailyn to the emergency room

Tick paralysis occurs when a neurotoxin from the tick's saliva is transmitted to its host, according to the American Lyme Disease Foundation.

The cause is not entirely understood but it is believed that the toxin blocks nerve function. Symptoms usually linger for between two and seven days.

They generally begin with fatigue, leg numbness and muscle pains. Paralysis quickly develops, starting in the lower extremities and working its way up. If the tick is not removed, tongue and facial paralysis follows.

Once the tick is removed, symptoms resolve anywhere between 12 and 24 hours

The CDC recommends showering within two hours of coming indoors to help wash off unattached ticks and to reduce the risk of contracting diseases such as Lyme disease.

Griffin says there were no signs that anything was wrong with her daughter until she woke her up for school.

'We had a T-ball game the night before and she was perfectly fine,' Griffin told Mississippi News Now.

'We came home, took a bath, washed her hair and everything and I never saw the tick.'

However, on Wednesday morning, Kailyn fell as soon as her feet hit the floor and she was unable to stand - but Griffin just assumed her daughter's legs were asleep.

It wasn't until Griffin was brushing Kailyn's hair that she realized her daughter's inability to walk wasn't the only symptom she was exhibiting.

'I went to brush her hair to put it in a ponytail and noticed she could barely talk,' Griffin told ABC News.

'When I pulled her hair back, that's when I saw the tick. I immediately called my husband, who is in Iraq, freaking out over the phone asking what could be going on.

'He told me that I needed to put the tick in a Ziploc bag and take it with me straight to the ER.'

Doctors diagnosed Kailyn (left and right) with tick paralysis, which is believed to be caused by a neurotoxin found in the tick's saliva. The tick was removed and Griffin was told that Kailyn's symptoms would be resolved between 12 and 24 hours

Griffin (center) shared photos of Kailyn (left) in the hospital and also wrote a post warning parents about tick bites and urging them to check their children

Griffin said she rushed her daughter to the University of Mississippi Medical Center. After blood tests and a CT scan, doctors diagnosed Kailyn with tick paralysis.

Tick paralysis occurs when a neurotoxin from the tick's saliva is transmitted to its host, according to the American Lyme Disease Foundation.

Doctors predicted that Kailyn's symptoms would resolve in between 12 and 24 hours, 'and sure enough within that 12 hours she was back to being her silly self, running and playing,' Griffin told ABC News.

Griffins shared photos on Facebook on Wednesday of Kailyn in a hospital bed, the tick bite on her scalp and the tick itself in a Ziploc bag. The original post garnered more than 107,000 reactions and has been shared more than 410,000 times.

She also wrote a post warning parents about tick bites and urging them to check their children.

'PLEASE for the love of god check your kids for ticks!' she wrote.

'It's more common in children than it is adults! Scary is an UNDERSTATEMENT!'A new prostate cancer DNA test identifies the one in 100 men who are six times more at risk of developing the life-threatening disease.

Researchers identified 63 new genetic mutations that are linked to the condition, which they combined with more than 100 DNA variants that were already known to cause the condition, to create the test, which could cost as little as 30.

One per cent of men carry many of these risky genetic variations, putting them at a much higher risk of prostate cancer than the average male, a study found today.

These DNA mutations tend to occur in cells that regulate communication between the immune system and other parts of the body, which could pave the way for new treatments, according to the researchers.

The scientists, from The Institute of Cancer Research (ICR), London, are planning to assess whether investigating the DNA of men's saliva samples, taken in GP practices, could identify at-risk men.

Such men are currently identified via a blood test that assesses their prostate specific antigen (PSA) levels, which rise when the cancer occurs. Yet, results can be skewed by vigorous exercise, urine infections and certain medications.

Prostate cancer affects around 47,000 new men every year in the UK. The disease kills more than 26,000 men annually in the US.

A new prostate cancer DNA test identifies the one in 100 men who are six times more at risk of developing life-threatening prostate cancer due to multiple genetic mutations (stock)

Men most at risk are 5.7 times more likely to get prostate cancer

The researchers analysed the genetic codes of nearly 80,000 men with prostate cancer and more than 61,000 without the disease.

Results suggest each DNA mutation individually has a small effect on men's prostate-cancer risk, however, the combined effect could be dramatic.

Those at the highest risk are 5.7 times more likely to develop the disease, while people in the top 10 per cent are 2.7 times more at-risk that the average man.

The findings were published in the journal Nature Genetics.

'A spit test could select men who might benefit from interventions'

Professor Ros Eeles, from the ICR, said: 'By looking at the DNA code of tens of thousands of men in more depth than ever before, we have uncovered vital new information about the genetic factors that can predispose someone to prostate cancer.

'And, crucially, we have shown that information from more than 150 genetic variants can now be combined to provide a readout of a man's inherited risk of prostate cancer.

'If we can tell from testing DNA how likely it is that a man will develop prostate cancer, the next step is to see if we can use that information to help prevent the disease.

'We now hope to begin a small study in GP practices to establish whether genetic testing using a simple spit test could select high-risk men who might benefit from interventions to identify the disease earlier or even reduce their risk.'

Researchers identified 63 new genetic mutations that are linked to the condition, which they combined with more than 100 known DNA variants to create the test (stock)

Findings could be used 'in the design of new treatments'

Professor Paul Workman, chief executive of the ICR, added: 'We have seen dramatic progress in recent years in our understanding of the genetics of prostate cancer, and this new research is another big step forward that tells us more about why some men develop the disease and others don't.

'We are on the cusp of moving from theory to practice - from explaining how genetics affects prostate cancer risk, to testing for genetic risk and attempting to prevent the disease.

'This study also gives us important information about the causes of prostate cancer and the potential role of the immune system, which could ultimately be employed in the design of new treatments.'The controversial gene-editing tool CRISPR that scientists hoped could remove gene defects may increase people's risk of cancer, new research suggests.

CRISPR works most effectively on cells that lack the ability to repair DNA damage.

Patients undergoing gene editing may therefore end up with a higher proportion of cells that lack the ability to protect against DNA damage, which could lead to cancer.

CRISPR technology precisely changes small parts of people's genetic codes. Unlike other similar tools, CRISPR permanently 'turns on or off' genes at the DNA level.

Critics argue it could create so-called designer babies by allowing parents to choose their hair colour or eventual height, as well as traits such as intelligence.

Professor Darren Griffin, a genetics expert at Kent University, who was not involved in the study, said the findings give 'reason for caution, but not necessarily alarm'.

He added: 'Almost any treatment that has the power to do good, has the power to do harm and this finding should be considered in this broader context.'

The controversial gene-editing tool CRISPR may increase people's risk of cancer (stock)

WHAT IS CRISPR-CAS9? Crispr-Cas9 is a tool for making precise edits in DNA, discovered in bacteria. The acronym stands for 'Clustered Regularly Inter-Spaced Palindromic Repeats'. The technique involves a DNA cutting enzyme and a small tag which tells the enzyme where to cut. The CRISPR/Cas9 technique uses tags which identify the location of the mutation, and an enzyme, which acts as tiny scissors, to cut DNA in a precise place, allowing small portions of a gene to be removed By editing this tag, scientists are able to target the enzyme to specific regions of DNA and make precise cuts, wherever they like. It has been used to 'silence' genes - effectively switching them off. When cellular machinery repairs the DNA break, it removes a small snip of DNA. In this way, researchers can precisely turn off specific genes in the genome. The approach has been used previously to edit the HBB gene responsible for a condition called -thalassaemia. Advertisement

'Cells edited with CRISPR can become cancerous'

Lead author Professor Jussi Taipal, from the University of Cambridge, said: 'Although we don't yet understand the mechanisms ... we believe that researchers need to be aware of the potential risks when developing new treatments.

'This is why we decided to publish our findings as soon as we discovered that cells edited with CRISPR can go on to become cancerous.'

A second team, from the Novartis Research Institute, Boston, found similar results. Both studies were published in the journal Nature Medicine.

Professor Griffin added: 'As we learn more about the CRISPR system and how it can be used, this study will inevitably be considered a significant finding.'

Professor Taipale stressed he does not want to sound 'alarmist', adding: 'this is clearly going to be a major tool for use in medicine.'

He added that once scientists better understand how DNA repair response is triggered by CRISPR, it may be possible to find ways of overcoming the problem.

Why is gene editing controversial?

Some have suggested the technology could be used to remove damaging genes from children before they are born, such as those that cause Huntington's disease or hereditary blindness.

Yet the technology may also be used to insert genes for desired traits, such as blond hair or above-average height.

If science's understanding of genetics improves, the technology may also one day be used to insert genes that encode certain skills, such as musical ability.

Designer-baby critics also argue only wealthy people could likely afford such technologies.

In the future, US health insurers may also reject patients who have not undergone genetic selection out of concerns they have a higher disease risk.

Dr Louanne Hudgins, who studies prenatal genetic screening and diagnosis at Stanford, adds genetically screening foetuses for diseases is not supported by medical associations and therefore health insurers will unlikely pay for such treatment in the near future.

Critics add people's upbringings and life experiences also have a substantial impact on traits such as intelligence.

Dr Richard Scott Jr, a founding partner of Reproductive Medicine Associates of New Jersey, added: 'Your child may not turn out to be the three-sport All-American at Stanford.'

CRISPR may inadvertently lead to people having a higher proportion of cells that lack the ability to protect against DNA damage, which could lead to tumours (stock)

How does CRISPR gene-editing technology work?

CRISPR technology precisely changes small parts of the genetic code.

Unlike other similar tools, CRISPR permanently 'turns on or off' genes at the DNA level.

The DNA cut  known as a double-strand break  closely mimics the kinds of mutations that occur naturally, for instance after chronic sun exposure.

Yet, unlike UV rays that can result in random genetic alterations, CRISPR causes a mutation at a precise location.

When cellular machinery repairs the DNA break, it removes a small snip of DNA.

In this way, researchers can precisely 'turn off' specific genes.Calls to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline went up 25 percent last week, after the news of both Kate Spade and Anthony Bourdain taking their own lives.

The number (1-800-273-8255) directs callers to one of more than 150 crisis centers around the US, where trained counselors are on-hand 24 hours a day for support.

A spike in calls is common after high-profile deaths by suicide, and increasingly so as the news reaches more and more people through websites and social media, and more and more suffer from depression and other mental health conditions.

However, suicide support groups are desperately underfunded, making these waves of calls ever more difficult to respond to.

Suicide hotlines received more calls last week after the news of both Kate Spade and Anthony Bourdain taking their own lives

'Our crisis centers across the country are chronically underfunded,' said John Draper, executive director of the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, who confirmed the 25 percent increase to the Wall Street Journal.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) provided about $35 million in 2017 to fund research into 'suicide prevention,' with another $68 million devoted to the category of 'suicide,' according to the agency's statistics.

There were 45,000 U.S. suicides in 2016. In comparison, alcoholism, which killed an estimated 65,000 Americans in 2015, saw $500 million in funded research last year.

Private charities, which help sustain suicide prevention hotlines, also have a harder time raising funds than those that tackle some other health issues, experts said.

'Look at breast cancer. More people will die by suicide than breast cancer this year,' said Dan Reidenberg, executive director of the nonprofit Suicide Awareness Voices of Education.

Almost $690 million was spent on breast cancer research last year, according to NIH statistics.

The United States has one of the highest rates of suicide in the world, according to World Health Organization data. In 2015, the United States had a rate of 15.3 suicides per 100,000 people, well above the global average of 10.6 per 100,000, according to WHO.

Bourdain, a chef and host of CNN's 'Parts Unknown' food-and-travel show, died of an apparent suicide on Friday in a French hotel. Spade, a fashion designer known for her popular handbags, was found dead in her apartment on Tuesday after what her husband described as a long battle with depression.

Scientists are making progress in identifying ways of predicting suicide risk more precisely, including biomarkers that could indicate whether someone is more likely to attempt it, said Jane Pearson, chairwoman of the National Institute of Mental Health's suicide research consortium.

Undiagnosed mental health problems, stresses such as loss of a job or a loved one, relationship problems, financial difficulties and physical problems can contribute to suicide, experts said.

'It's usually a confluence of factors,' said Jerry Reed, a member of the executive committee of the Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention. 'We have to be mindful of the whole spectrum.'

Research has shown that direct intervention, much like the use of suicide hotlines, can help people contemplating suicide to change their minds, National Suicide Prevention Lifeline's Draper said.

The key is to think of suicide as a public health issue, much like diseases such as AIDS or cancer, said Christine Moutier, the chief medical officer at the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.

While tragic, the deaths of Spade and Bourdain could help spread the message that suicides can be prevented, experts said.

'It definitely is a teachable moment,' Pearson said.A father has shared a heartbreaking photo of his son comforting his four-year-old daughter before she passed away from cancer.

Adalynn 'Addy' Sooter, from Rodgers, Arkansas, was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor known as Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG) in November 2016 after her parents noticed she was having some difficulty walking.

She underwent 33 bouts of radiation that initially killed the cancerous cells, but they returned.

The family then tried their luck with an experimental chemotherapy treatment in Mexico, spending more than $200,000 for transportation and medical expenses in Monterrey - but the tumor continued to spread.

In the photo, Sooter's son, six-year-old Jackson, is seen stroking his sister's head and giving her his other hand to hold.

'A little boy should not have to say goodbye to his partner in crime, his playmate, his best friend, his little sister,' Sooter wrote on Facebook. 'This isn't how it's supposed to be. But this is the broken world we live in.'

Matt Sooter, from Rodgers, Arkansas, posted a photo on Facebook of his six-year-old Jackson comforting his daughter, four-year-old Addy, before she passed away from cancer on June 3

Addy (left and right) was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor known as Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG) in November 2016 after her parents noticed she was having some difficulty walking

DIPG is a very rare and highly aggressive form of cancer with tumors in the brain. Over time, the tumor affects heartbeat, breathing, swallowing, eyesight and balance. Addy (left and right) was given just months to live

The tumor, called DIPG, is a very rare and highly aggressive form of cancer typically found in children between ages five to nine.

Addy, who was diagnosed at just two years old, is one of the youngest cases doctors have seen.

Only between 200 and 300 children in the US are diagnosed each year.

This type of tumor is located at the base of the brain and the top of the spine, but it is unknown what causes them.

The tumors pressure on the area of the brain called the pons, which are responsible for a number of critical bodily functions, such as breathing, sleeping and blood pressure.

Over time, the tumor affects heartbeat, breathing, swallowing, eyesight and balance.

Some of the first symptoms of the tumor are problems with eye movement, facial weakness, difficulty walking, strange limb movements and problems with balance.

Most people with this type of cancer only live for nine months following the first diagnosis, and some don't even make it long enough to receive radiation treatment.

Addy's parents, Matt and Chandra, first realized their daughter was walking 'funny' at the Silver Dollar City theme park in Missouri. They eventually took her to the doctor just after Halloween 2016.

'At first one of her legs was kind of strangely swinging, so they thought it might be an orthopedic issue,' Addy's grandmother, Ann Sooter, told Daily Mail Online in a previous interview.

Addy (pictured with her dad, Matt) immediately began radiation and received 33 rounds of treatment over the course of six weeks in an attempt to shrink the tumor. It initially shrunk the cancerous cells but they soon returned

Through the Make-A-Wish Foundation, Addy was given a trip to Disney World complete with a Frozen-themed party with her favorite princesses: Anna and Elsa

The family took one last chance and headed to the 0-19 Clinic in Monterrey, Mexico, in July, for an experimental chemotherapy treatment, spending $200,000 on medical expenses and transportation. Pictured: Addy, left and right

The family was sent to Arkansas Children's Hospital in Little Rock where they received the diagnosis of DIPG and Addy was given just months to live.

'Once doctors found out it was DIPG, they basically said: "Enjoy your time, she is going to die",' Ann explained.

Addy was immediately began radiation and received 33 rounds of treatment over the course of six weeks in an attempt to shrink the tumor.

Initially, the family received good news - that the tumor had shrunk. But they were warned by doctors that it would likely return.

'Her doctors told us that the tumor would come back aggressively, and that once that happened there would be nothing we could do about it,' Ann said.

Because of the aggressive tumor and seemingly hopeless diagnosis, the family worked to make the most out of their time with Addy.

Through the Make-A-Wish Foundation, Addy was given a trip to Disney World complete with a Frozen-themed party.

The family also visited Colorado so Addy could see snow and play in the mountains, something she is unable to do in her native Arkansas.

However, after noticing that Addy was struggling to walk again, she was sent to the doctor for another MRI.

'The results weren't good. We found out that the original part of the tumor had died, which would have been promising, but now there are new parts of the tumor aggressively growing around the original,' Ann explained.

The treatment, which involves a shunt to drain fluid from the brain before receiving the chemotherapy through two catheters, worked at first. Pictured: Addy and her brother Jackson

However, in May, the Sooter family learned that Addy's (pictured) tumor continued to spread, leaving them out of options

A celebration of life service was held for Addy over the weekend in Arkansas and her family asked for donations to various charities in lieu of flowers. Pictured: Addy with her parents, Matt and Chandra, and her brother Jackson

The family took one last chance and headed to the 0-19 Clinic in Monterrey, Mexico, in July, for an experimental treatment spending $200,000 for both medical expenses and transportation, the family told PEOPLE magazine.

The treatment, which involves a shunt to drain fluid from the brain before receiving the chemotherapy through two catheters, worked at first.

However, in May, the Sooter family learned that Addy's tumor continued to spread, according to Yahoo.

Out of options, the Sooter family returned to the US and, on June 1, Addy was admitted to Circle of Life Hospice care in Springdale, Arkansas.

Matt Sooter posted the heartbreaking update to the Hope for Addy Joy Facebook page, where he had been documenting his daughter's fight against cancer.

Uploaded on June 2, a post that accompanied the photo explained that Addy's symptoms had progressed rapidly. She was no longer able to eat or swallow without difficulty.

'Pray for Jackson,' Sooter ended the caption of the photo. 'He doesn't want to leave her side and we won't make him. Pray for us. That we have the right words and can make the necessary arrangements in time.'

A celebration of life service was held for Addy over the weekend in Arkansas. Her family said in lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to the Michael Mosier Defeat DIPG Foundation, Arkansas Children's Hospital, or Ronald McDonald House Charities of Arkansas.A coffee cup-sized implant that mimics the functions of the human kidney could be a life-saving option for patients with chronic kidney disease

A coffee cup-sized implant that mimics the functions of the human kidney could be a life-saving option for patients with chronic kidney disease.

The implant is expected to begin trials later this year and if successful, it could be available within a few years, saving patients from dialysis or needing a transplant there are currently 30,000 people in the UK having dialysis, and 5,000 on the waiting list for a donor kidney.

Around one in eight Britons will develop chronic kidney disease in their lifetime, with half of all over-75s suffering it to some degree. It is often caused by poorly controlled diabetes or high blood pressure.

Healthy kidneys remove toxins from the blood, control the bodys fluid balance and make hormones which help control blood pressure, red blood cell production and keep bones healthy.

Kidney failure is where the organs ability to do these things falls below 15 per cent of its normal capacity, causing toxins to build up in the blood and water to gather in the lungs  with potentially fatal consequences.

The most effective treatment is a transplant, but demand for organs far outstrips supply.

The only other option is dialysis, where a machine takes over the function of diseased kidneys to clean the blood of waste, salts and excess fluid  without dialysis, these could build up to fatal levels.

Dialysis can be inconvenient as people usually go to hospital for treatment, typically three sessions a week, for three to four hours at a time. Dialysis is also associated with fatigue and depression, can remove too many nutrients from the blood and only works while patients are connected to the machine.

The idea with the artificial kidney is that it continuously filters blood inside the body and avoids these problems  researchers at the University of California, San Francisco, have developed it over the past 20 years.

The implant is essentially two components  filters to separate the various substances in the blood, and a bioreactor which transfers these either to the blood, or to the bladder for removal from the body. These are encased in a hard-wearing box coated in a film made from materials safe for use inside the body. It is connected with tubes to nearby veins and to the bladder.

The artificial kidney first passes blood through layered silicon filters to remove waste and then through the bioreactor made of lab-grown live kidney cells which reabsorb vital salts, sugars and water into the blood, in a similar way to a real kidney.

Cleaned blood is returned to the circulation through a vein the implant is connected to, while waste material drains into the bladder via a tube.

Researchers believe they will start testing parts of the device on humans within months, after trials in pigs showed success in overcoming a problem with blood clots. Blood has a natural tendency to clot, which caused problems in earlier prototypes of the device.

Around one in eight Britons will develop chronic kidney disease in their lifetime, with half of all over-75s suffering it to some degree. It is often caused by poorly controlled diabetes or high blood pressure

Clots not only stop the implant working but could prove fatal if they travel to the brain, heart or lungs  so it was vital the U.S. scientists overcame this issue before taking it further.

They have developed two mechanisms for stopping the problem by changing the way blood flows through the device, and its coating is thought to prevent clots, too.

Once it is ready for humans, the artificial kidney would be implanted in a similar way to kidney transplant surgery, under general anaesthetic. Professor Shuvo Roy, a bioengineer who is leading the project, told Good Health: We are wrapping up the preclinical studies and awaiting approval from our ethics board on the first safety study in patients. [We are] hopefully starting the first trial to test safety in 2018.

The first trials will check if materials in the device are safe for humans and whether components can filter human blood effectively. Within two years, trials of the implanted device should begin with a small number of patients.

If successful and the device is approved, it could be available in Britain within just a few years.

The researchers will present an update on the research at the UK Annual Dialysis Conference in Manchester in September.

Sandip Mitra, a consultant nephrologist at Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, said the project was an exciting advance. A treatment option that could overcome some of the limitations of dialysis and organ transplantation would be a significant step change . . . and will have a significant impact on patients lives, he said.

But Jamie Davies, professor of experimental anatomy at the University of Edinburgh and a researcher with Kidney Research UK, warned the technology was far from ready.

A practical device is still likely to be a long way in the future, and it is important that kidney patients still do all they can to protect the kidney function they have. It is also very important that donors still come forward, he said.Photos of the latest AA breakdown recovery vehicles out on Britain's roads suggest it might be about to do away with its traditional yellow vans.

Images have emerged of AA vehicles in a new rainbow colour scheme.

For more than 100 years, the firm's breakdown recovery cars, vans and trucks have primarily been on-brand yellow, leading to speculation that this might change.

However, that's not the case, according to a company spokesperson.

Rainbow recovery: AA vans have been spotted in recent days sporting a totally new colour scheme

AA vans spotted in west Wales and Staffordshire now feature a large rainbow colour scheme running down the side and on the back doors and bonnet of the vehicles.

It's the first time AA vehicles haven't entirely been yellow since it was first founded in 1905.

Users took to Twitter to post images of the vans seen in the wild, leading to speculation that the Automobile Association might be on the brink of making a huge identity change.

But that won't be the case, according to a spokesman for the brand.

Users have taken to Twitter having seen the vans patrolling UK roads over the weekend

The vehicles have been given a splash of colour as part of a partnership with Pride of London, the AA confirmed

He told This is Money that some of the fleet have been treated to a splash of colour as part of the AA's partnership with Pride of London.

The motoring group will be a sponsor for the event in the capital on Saturday 7 July.

To celebrate, a number of the patrol vehicles have been given a special facelift, though some of them have been sent out on duties across the country a month in advance of the event.

AA vehicles have traditionally been primarily yellow. This has been the case since the Automobile Association was founded some 113 years ago

An AA spokesman said the patrol vehicles were going to be used in the capital as part of the tie-up with London pride, though some had been sent out on patrol across the UK already

'Conspicuity of our vans is always important as they need to stand out and be seen,' the spokesperson said.

'These rainbow vans are a welcome addition to our fleet and certainly make a positive statement.

'Were very excited to be adding a big splash of colour and all things rainbow to our summer this year.'Goldman Sachs boss Lloyd Blankfein is being encouraged to run as Mayor of New York

Punchy Goldman Sachs boss Lloyd Blankfein, who is expected to stand down in the coming months, is being encouraged by friends to run as Mayor of New York.

Bronx-born Lloyd, 63, is said to be flattered but sceptical. He lacks the charisma of his predecessors Hank Paulson, 72, and Jon Corzine, 71, both of whom went into politics, and would regard a campaign doomed to fail an unnecessary dent in his $1billion fortune.

Media mogul Michael Bloombergs mayoral campaigns cost him more than 200million.

Venture capitalist Michael Edelson has been appointed a director of pension firm Tontine Trust.

The jovial Manchester United director, 73, aka The Shellmeister, is one of the Citys most popular dealmakers, helping to float firms such as Knutsford and ASOS.

Though I fear hes destined to be remembered as the man who introduced David Beckham to a young, pouting Victoria Adams.

Scurrilous allegations that Sir Martin Sorrell, 73, paid a sex worker in Mayfairs Shepherd Market 300  which the dainty ex-WPP boss strenuously denies  suggest an alarming decline in the areas going rates.

It was on those same cobbled streets Jeffrey Archer met prostitute Monica Coghlan, whom he admitted paying 2,000.

That was way back in 1986. No doubt gloomy Remainers will blame Brexit.

WPP werent commenting on the urgent Sorrell business yesterday. Though they did issue a press release announcing it had cut the ribbon on its offices in Lower Manhattan, as though this non-story was of any comparable interest.

Rheumy-eyed investor George Soros, 87, is set to add another chunk to his 6billion fortune after he was revealed to be stakeholder in wonder horse Justify, winner of Americas Triple Crown on Saturday.

The horses breeding rights are now said to be worth 60million. If hes as virile as his part-owner he should prove a successful stallion. The thrice married old goat has fathered five children.Annual meetings rarely live up to their promise. Nevertheless, the gathering of WPP investors on Londons Southbank tomorrow should be a humdinger.

It has all the ingredients for a circus, including lurid allegations against Sir Martin Sorrell and demands from investor advisory group Glass Lewis that chairman Roberto Quarta be removed.

There also are questions as to whether former boss Sorrell is really entitled to be treated as a good leaver after a deal cooked up behind closed doors which could gift him up to 20million in share options.

If any of this is hurting Sorrell it is hard to tell. A fortnight ago he was confidently doing the rounds  unescorted  at the Chelsea Flower Show.

WPP's AGM has all the ingredients for a circus with lurid allegations against ousted boss Sir Martin Sorrell (pictured) and demands that chairman Roberto Quarta be removed

Moreover, much to the angst of WPP directors he is planning to start an advertising group through the shell company Derriston Capital with backing from veteran financier Lord Rothschild.

The lesson from WPP is that it is never satisfactory for a public company to launch an inquiry involving major transatlantic law firm Wilmer Hale, force out the chief executive and then pretend that the allegations were trifling.

The truth is that the details will eventually out. There is a narrative that says Sorrells troubles began when Roberto Quarta was chosen to replace easygoing predecessor Philip Lader as chairman in 2015. Perhaps.

But my own encounter with Quarta, when we met to discuss the chief executives pay cheque, was of a chairman in thrall to Sorrell who felt he deserved to be paid like a movie star.

The change of attitude towards Sorrell came with the choice of Nicole Seligman, a high powered Washington lawyer, as senior non-executive director.

Her background at Washington litigation firm Williams & Connolly and in defending Bill Clinton during impeachment signals a person who takes no prisoners.

Many leaks about Sorrell first appeared in the Wall Street Journal suggesting that the American connection was important and much of the detail may never have emerged in the UK but for this.

Through friends, Sorrell has maintained that he was always scrupulous in the separation of personal and business expenses.

That may be, but the scale of his personal expenses  453,000 in 2014  on top of his outsize salary must be considered outlandish.

In a long career where he dominated the organisation it will come as no surprise that Sorrell was not as universally loved inside as he was by some of his sycophantic followers outside.

When he fell from grace there were no shortage of witnesses willing to testify to bullying and an extravagant expenses-fuelled lifestyle.

Much of this may amount to tittle-tattle. But there was only one way to properly clear the air and allow Sorrell to get on with his life and WPP to restore some normality. That was to publish the Wilmer-Hale report.

As Seligman will know from her Washington life, the cover up often proves more toxic than the underlying problem.

Engine trouble

Rolls-Royce has had more than its fair share of turmoil in recent times. But investors thought they could at least count on engineering excellence as bribery and bureaucracy were tackled. Even that, however, is starting to look a little ropy.

Having been required to acknowledge a problem with the compressor on its Trent 1000 C package engine, which powers the Dreamliner, it has now discovered a similar problem in another group of engines requiring a one-off inspection.

The need to do more inspections, replace some compressors, fly closer to airports and other precautionary measures are a costly embarrassment. Worse if it were to hand advantage to US rivals General Electric and Pratt & Whitney.

In spite of the distraction, chief executive Warren East is sensibly getting on with his task of eliminating duplicate middle management jobs with 4,000 set to go. That too will be costly and disruptive. But it is necessary if the UKs premier engineering group is to maintain a competitive edge.

US retreat

Poundworld may be at the opposite end of the market to House of Fraser.

But the reasons behind the decision of its American private equity owners to pull the plug are much the same.

Weak footfall, rising wage costs and surging business rates. Additional stress comes from higher import costs.

But one cannot think that richly-resourced TPG  a value destroyer at Debenhams  pulled the rug too easily.HSBCs new boss John Flint said the bank will invest $15billion to $17billion in growth and technology as he unveiled an updated strategy for the bank.

Flint, who took over in February from Stuart Gulliver, said he will bring the bank back into growth mode after nearly a decade of declining revenues.

The bank reassured investors that dividends will be kept at current levels and said it will continue with its programme of share buybacks.

HSBC boss John Flint said the bank will invest $15 to $17billion in growth and technology

It will also continue to pursue its expansion into Asia and China in particular, HSBC said, as per a plan launched in 2015 by his predecessor.

Such plans include growing further its Hong Kong business and invest in the Pearl River Delta in the Guangdong province. It also looks to expand its insurance and wealth management business in Asia.

In an eight-point plan, the lender also committed to complete the ring-fencing of its UK bank, boost its share of the mortgage market, improve customer service, complete the turnaround of its US business and gain market share across its international network.

Shares in HSBC, which is listed on the FTSE 100 but makes about 75 per cent of its profits in Asia, fell this morning.

Flint said: After a period of restructuring, it is now time for HSBC to get back into growth mode.

The existing strategy is working and provides a strong platform for future profitable growth. In the next phase of our strategy we will accelerate growth in areas of strength, in particular in Asia and from our international network.

HSBC said it expects to report mid-single digit growth in revenue between 2018 and 2020 and is likely to see low to mid-single digit growth in operating expenses.A beauty queen has chosen to stand up to her childhood bullies after more than a decade of abuse by returning to modelling in a bid to rebuild her confidence.

For the first time in two years, Sonny Turner, 18, proudly took to the stage, finally putting her tormentors' words behind her.

The teenager tries not to remember the hard years, where she was bullied, bashed and ridiculed from the moment she left her house or logged onto social media.

Sonny Turner, 18, tries not to remember the hard years, where she was bullied, bashed and ridiculed from the moment she left her house or logged onto social media

The young beauty queen, pictured here with her mum Sue Turner, is working on building her confidence after years of bullying

She took a break from pageantry for two years - after school bullies made her feel bad about herself

Moving on hasn't been easy - and just last week the young woman stumbled - and ended up in a coma after taking too many sleeping pills.

'I didn't want to die, I just wanted the mean voices to stop - to stop having to think about the things people were doing and why they were hurting me,' she told Daily Mail Australia.

She was in a coma for four days while her mother Sue Turner sat at her bedside desperately hoping she would wake up.

Mrs Turner said watching her daughter being torn down year after year has also left her feeling helpless.

'We tried everything and we still can't help her - the only thing we didn't do is confront the bullies ourselves, but you just can't do that, they are children and we can't become the bully to defend our kids. I understand how parents do lash out.'

The 18-year-old model went from school to school - changing ten times after she was first bullied aged seven.

The young woman ended up in a coma earlier this year - after taking too many sleeping pills - she said she didn't want to die she just wanted to sleep so she could stop hurting. Her mum took this photo because she thought Sonny would not wake up

She was in the coma for four days while her mother Sue Turner sat at her bedside desperately hoping she would wake up

The 18-year-old model went from school to school - changing ten times after she was first bullied aged seven

In one traumatic experience during primary school a class mate who had been picking on her because of her 'different learning needs' accused her of having a hunting knife.

'I was called up in front of the classroom by the police and I didn't understand what was going on.

'The police and the teachers searched me in front of everyone and kept asking where the knife was. It was mortifying I will never be able to forget it.

'Who would even bring a knife to school or make that up?' she said.

Then in high school she was bashed unconscious at a local train station after a bully offered her a deal she couldn't refuse.

In one traumatic experience during primary school a class mate who had been picking on her because of her 'different learning needs' accused her of having a hunting knife

'The police and the teachers searched me in front of everyone and kept asking where the knife was. It was mortifying I will never be able to forget it,' she said

In high school she was bashed unconscious at a local train station after a bully offered her a deal she couldn't refuse (pictured during a pageant)

'She thought I had done something that I hadn't - and said that if I let her punch me just once then she wouldn't be mean to me anymore.

'So I did, but she didn't stop punching, and then everyone joined in. I fell to the ground and don't remember the rest.'

Her mother does. She arrived to the train station to see dozens of teenagers in a giant circle.

'It looked like a footy match, my husband and I thought what's that and when we got closer we saw out daughter lying on the ground.

'She was being held down by a boy while other people stomped on her and kicked her.

'She thought I had done something that I hadn't - and said that if I let her punch me just once then she wouldn't be mean to me anymore,' she said

Her mother remembers turning up to the train station to see dozens of teenagers in a giant circle around her daughter

The young woman took to the stage recently for the first time in two years - taking part in a swimsuit contest for the State of Origin

Sonny has worked with charities as part of her pageantry - winning 'Miss Charity' three times

When the bullies grew bored of making nasty comments or pushing Ms Turner around they stole her bag

'I just ran up to the boy holding her down and screamed at him. She was unconcious,' she said.

The abuse never stopped - it didn't matter what tactics the school or Turner family enforced.

When the bullies grew bored of making nasty comments or pushing Ms Turner around they stole her bag.

'They would take it and throw it away or take it when I was on the bus and throw it out of the window then stop me from getting off at my stop so I would have to walk further to go get it,' she said.

The abuse never stopped - it didn't matter what tactics the school or Turner family enforced

Ms Turner pictured during one of her charity drives - her mother says she has a big heart and would help anyone

The young beauty took out the Miss Teen Global International pageant before she quit the circuit after being overwhelmed by school bullies

Ms Turner's on-stage debut was a bikini modelling competition in western Sydney - where she wore a $3000 Patricia Jay swimsuit

The abuse has followed her into adulthood.

'If I go out to the shops or something and they see me it starts all over again. I have deleted most of my social media accounts and only have one Facebook.

'I only let my best friends on that and my family and as soon as someone starts to be mean I block and delete them.'

Sonny, right, with her parents, aged seven. This was when she was first seriously bullied

The young woman feels confident at pageants because of the positive environment created by the girls

Ms Turner's on-stage debut was a bikini modelling competition in western Sydney - where she wore a $3000 Patricia Jay swimsuit.

'I was nervous and it was pretty overwhelming at first but I think I managed to loosen up by the second round.

'It was a great way to build up my confidence again but I am really glad I got back into it.'

The young beauty took out the Miss Teen Global International pageant before she quit the circuit after being overwhelmed by school bullies.

She also quit full time school in year ten - and finished her HSC with one on one classes in a futile attempt to escape her tormentors (she is pictured during a pageant event)

The young beauty queen was even invited on to television for a day following her pageant success

'I was nervous and it was pretty overwhelming at first but I think I managed to loosen up by the second round,' she said of her first competition back

The bullies weren't a part of the pageant community, which has always made her feel safe and confident.

She also quit full time school in year ten - and finished her HSC with one on one classed in a futile attempt to escape her tormentors.

'If you are being bullied stand tall and be strong - it breaks my heart every time I hear of a young boy or a young girl taking their own life because they couldn't fight anymore.

'If you are being bullied stand tall and be strong - it breaks my heart every time I hear of a young boy or a young girl taking their own life because they couldn't fight anymore

'It breaks my heart because I have been there.

'And make sure you tell you parents - my teachers didn't always help me out when I complained but my mum and my dad always had my back.

The young woman said she would love to be able to ask her past bullies why they picked on her. She would also like to ask the people who sore her being hurt who never helped or told anyone why they chose to be silent.

'To me they are just as bad as the bullies - I would be screaming out for help and no one came,' she said.Details of NXIVM cult leader Keith Raniere's depraved practices have been revealed in a series of disturbing text messages he sent to his victims.

Raniere, 57, had asked one of his 'slaves' to groom another woman that could serve as his 'f**k toy' and recruited others for a sinister sex ring in which he was the 'grand master.'

The revelations were made in court papers filed by federal prosecutors in New York on Friday seeking to block his pretrial release.

Raniere had filed a motion early last week seeking bail on a $10 million bond and home detention with 24-hour supervision.

Prosecutors responded with an opposition asking the judge to keep Raniere behind bars because he is a flight risk, adding that 'no combination of conditions' would adequately protect the safety of the community, according to court documents obtained by DailyMail.com.

NXIVM cult leader Keith Raniere's depraved practices have been revealed in a series of disturbing text messages he sent to his victims in a new court filing

In a text message exchange with an unidentified 'DOS slave' Raniere tells her to groom a woman to be his 'f**k toy slave' that she could used to 'pleasure' him

He describes DOS as a 'secret growing organization' of woman which he 'commands'

Raniere has been behind bars since he was captured in Mexico and brought to the US in March.

He is accused of forming a barbaric secret society within NXIVM, a group that over the years has attracted a following of minor celebrities and wealthy people.

He has been charged with sex trafficking, sex trafficking conspiracy, and forced labor.

The alleged sex cult leader had claimed that DOS - a subgroup of NXIVM - 'is a group by and for women' and not created 'as a way of Raniere having access to women...'

But prosecutors argued that text messages sent by Raniere prove that there was a sexual component to the group and the some slaves would be recruited to have sex with him.

'I think it would be good for you to own a f**k toy slave for me, that you could groom, and use as a tool, to pleasure me,' he tells an unidentified 'slave.'

The DOS slave responds: [H]uh? not disagreeing, just don't understand.'

Raniere then tells her to, '[g]et a slaveyou're her master...'

In text messages sent in October 2015, he describes DOS as a 'secret growing organization' of women who 'want to be branded with [his] monogram.'

'I don't know well some of the people involved but I command them ultimately,' he states, later describing the role as an 'absolutely trusted commitment.'

The slave then responds: 'I want to be the one that worships your body.'

When asked if the slaves were meant solely for him or for him and the woman Raniere explains the two 'types'

Raniere describes the position of a sex slave as a '24/7 job'

That same day, Raniere expressed concern that the slave a was 'continuing to ask questions without committing to feeling to feelings or an opinion,' court papers state.

'Find a life slave and I'll tell you everything,' he says.

The slave responds: 'What do you mean by life slave?'

'Someone who has a collateralized vow with you for life...'

When asked if the slaves were meant solely for him or for him and the woman Raniere explains the two 'types.'

'Both types are for us. One type is in the program: you are their Master I am with Grand Master...the other type are very select ones you use to heal us: likely being also of the first type.'

The suit also reveals how Raniere was allegedly complicit with the psychological torture of another young woman by ordering her to be confined to a room for a year and half to 'heal' from her 'breach.'

Raniere threatened to expel the woman, who was undocumented, from the country if she did not remain in the room.

Raniere described the group as a 'secret growing organization' of women who 'want to be branded with [his] monogram'. Above Sarah Edmondson shows the brand she received while she was in the cult

Smallville actress Allison Mack (pictured in May) also is charged with helping Raniere in the scheme. She agreed to cut all ties with the cult and Raniere as a condition of her $5 million bail

The woman finally left the room and Raniere had her driven to the Mexican border and ordered her to walk across without any money or identification, papers reveal.

Smallville actress Allison Mack also is charged with helping Raniere in the scheme. She agreed to cut all ties with the cult and Raniere as a condition of her $5 million bail.

In the court papers, Raniere's team of lawyers renewed claims that the alleged victims were never abused.

'Through this case, the United States Government seeks to curtail the ways in which independent, smart, curious adults may legally search for happiness, fulfillment and meaning,' the papers state.

'By condemning (the group) as a criminal enterprise and the teachings of Keith Raniere as fraudulent and criminal, the Department of Justice has made itself the morality police.'

If Raniere goes to trial, his followers will testify that his teachings actually 'improved their lives or gave their lives greater meaning,' the papers add.

A judge has set an October 1 trial date.Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan hit back at Austria on Saturday after the country moved to expel several imams accused of spreading radical Islam.

The President warned of a global war between Christians and Muslims as he blasted Austria's move to close mosques and expel Turkish-funded imams.

Erdogan said in a speech in Istanbul: 'These measures taken by the Austrian prime minister are, I fear, leading the world towards a war between the cross and the crescent.'

His comments came the day after the Austrian government announced it could expel up to 60 Turkish-funded imams and their families and would shut down seven mosques as part of a crackdown on 'political Islam', triggering fury in Ankara.

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Recep Tayyip Erdogan insisted Ankara would 'have to do something' in response to Austria's decision to close mosques and expel Turkish-funded imams

Chancellor Sebastian Kurz (pictured) said the Austrian government would be shutting a hardline Turkish nationalist mosque in Vienna and dissolving a group called the Arab Religious Community

Interior Minister Herbert Kickl of the far-right Freedom Party (FPOe), the junior partner in Austria's coalition government said the move concerned imams with alleged links to the Turkish-Islamic Cultural Associations (ATIB) organisation, a branch of Turkey's religious affairs agency Diyanet.

Kickl added the government suspects them of contravening a ban on foreign funding of religious office holders.

A Turkish presidential spokesman had on Friday described the Austrian move as 'a reflection of the anti-Islam, racist and discriminatory populist wave in this country'.

However, other European far-right leaders welcomed the announcement.

Even Austria's opposition parties were broadly supportive of Friday's announcement, with the centre-left Social Democrats calling it 'the first sensible thing this government's done'.

But the Green Party pointed out it could serve as a propaganda victory for the Turkish government.

Last week Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (pictured) attacked Kurz, saying: 'This immoral chancellor has a problem with us'

Erdogan is currently on the campaign trail trying to drum up support for his ruling Justice and Development Party in the run up to the Presidential elections later this month

Erdogan, speaking Saturday, said: 'They say they're going to kick our religious men out of Austria. Do you think we will not react if you do such a thing?'

'That means we're going to have to do something,' he added without elaborating.

Around 360,000 people of Turkish origin live in Austria, including 117,000 Turkish nationals.

Relations between Ankara and Vienna have been strained since a failed coup against Erdogan in 2016 which was followed by a wave of arrests.

Erdogan's speech comes in the run-up to presidential and legislative elections on June 24 in which he faces stiff opposition.

The Austrian government has banned Turkish officials from holding meetings in the country ahead of the polls.A retired Secret Service agent pointed out security vulnerabilities at a Florida high school two months before a gunman killed 17 people there.

Retired agent Steve Wexler pointed out unlocked gates, unlocked doors and no identification badges for students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, The Sun Sentinel of South Florida reported.

Wexler's children had graduated from the high school and he spoke regularly to classes about law enforcement.

He had previously offered to make security recommendations, and he was asked to conduct a 'site survey' of the campus last December.

Accompanied by an assistant principal, Wexler walked through the school with Post-it notes numbered 1 through 20.

A retired Secret Service agent pointed out security vulnerabilities at a Florida high school two months before a gunman killed 17 people there

He handed them out to staffers or stuck them to desks and doorknobs to point out their vulnerabilities.

Wexler said he presented his recommendations to four staffers at the school.

'I said, "This stuff is blatantly obvious. Youve got to fix this",' he said.

From that moment, Wexler said he never heard back from the district.

Florida's government has ordered the shooting be investigated by a state commission of inquiry.

The blue-ribbon panel will likely ask Wexler to give statements.

'Were aware of him,' said Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri, who is leading the commission.

'Were interested in talking to him.'

A spokesperson for the school district told the Sun Sentinel that 'a school administrator did discuss security recommendations from an individual last year.'

Retired agent Steve Wexler pointed out unlocked gates, unlocked doors and no identification badges for students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School

Wexler spent 27 years in the Secret Service before retiring in 2014.

His two children graduated from Marjory Stoneman Douglas, so he was known to teachers there.

Wexler was also a regular guest lecturer to classes. He would talk about the criminal justice system.

Wexler said he printed out the school's floor plan, bell schedule, and aerial map.

On December 13 of last year, he arrived early for his meeting in order to test the security on the grounds.

Wexler had previously offered to make security recommendations, and he was asked to conduct a 'site survey' of the campus last December. The image above shows parents waiting for news about their loved ones after initial reports of the shooting in Parkland on February 14

Wexler said he pulled into the parking lot through the open gate and sat there for 20 minutes, during which time nobody approached him.

He then took the assistant principal, Winfred Porter, on a short ride in his truck through the bus loop.

Wexler pointed out that the gate to the bus loop was open during midday.

'Why the heck was it unlocked?' Wexler said he wondered to himself.

Porter watched from afar as Wexler had no trouble getting into the school breezeway where students and staff would gather.

Wexler then entered an open back door which led to the administration building.

He then took yellow Post-it notes numbered 1 to 20 and handed them to each administrator or 'victim' would be gunned down if someone tried to commit a mass murder.

Wexler said he had no trouble roaming the premises and putting down Post-it notes unimpeded.

'Nobody challenged me,' he said.

'No one approached me  "Who are you?"'

Eventually, Wexler said he reached the office of Deputy Scot Peterson, the so-called 'Broward Coward.'

Peterson was forced to resign a week after the school shooting. He was filmed during the massacre standing outside for minutes while gunman Nikolas Cruz went on his shooting spree.

Wexler said that when he reached Peterson's office, Peterson had his back turned toward him while working on the computer.

He then turned to the assistant principal.

'Mr. Porter, I ran out of numbers. You want me to keep going?' he asked.

Wexler said he then made his recommendations to school officials, including locking the gates, giving students ID badges, doing regular active-shooter drills, and giving any adult the power to declare a lock down.

A frustrated Wexler said his recommendations appeared to fall on deaf ears.

Florida school shooting suspect Nikolas Cruz quickly glances up at the prosecutors during a hearing on April 27, 2018, in Fort Lauderdale

'Where on the food chain did that information die?' he asked.

'I tell them what to do and then they dont do it.

'If they didnt want to use the recommendation, why then would the school reach out to me?

'I said, "Keep the gates locked".

'If they just kept the gates locked the kid would have had to jump the fence and then it would have been more obvious.

'It didnt have to happen. Those kids didnt have to die.'

School administrators declined to comment on the specifics of Wexler's complaints.Staff Sgt. Alexander W. Conrad has been identified as the American special operations soldier who was killed in an attack in Somalia

Staff Sgt. Alexander W. Conrad has been identified as the American special operations soldier who was killed in an attack in Somalia that also left four other US military personnel and one Somali soldier wounded.

The Pentagon released a statement on Saturday saying that Conrad, a native of Chandler, Arizona, died while serving in Somalia as part of U.S. efforts to defeat jihadist groups like Al-Qaeda.

Conrad was a member of the 3rd Special Forces Group which is based in Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

The attack by suspected Al-Shabaab militants occurred on Friday in Somalia's southern Jubaland province, where a small joint US-Somali outpost came under small arms and mortar fire, US defense officials said.

President Donald Trump paid tribute to Conrad and his wounded comrades in a tweet saying 'They are truly all HEROES'.

Al-Shabaab, Al Qaeda's branch in Somalia, boasted of mounting a 'fierce attack' resulting in the casualties on the outskirts of the town of Kismayo, according to a transmission intercepted by the SITE Intelligence Group.

US officials were unable to immediately confirm who carried out the attack.

The American forces were reportedly fighting with air cover from an armed surveillance drone.

The attack by suspected Al-Shabaab militants (file photo) occurred on Friday in Somalia's southern Jubaland province, where a small joint US-Somali outpost came under fire

Roughly 500 US troops are stationed in Somalia as part of an ongoing mission to assist the country's national security forces in counter-terrorism operations.

Mostly composed of special operators such as Army Green Berets, Navy SEALs and Marine Raiders, the US forces in Somalia have conducted frequent raids and drone strikes on Shabaab training camps throughout Somalia.

It follows the death of four US soldiers in Niger last October in an ambush attack that raised questions about the continuing role of American forces in Africa.

The most recent US casualty in Somalia occurred last year, when a member of the Navy SEALs was killed in a nighttime attack.

That marked the first US military combat death there since the infamous events of 'Black Hawk Down' in 1993, when 18 American servicemen died in what is called the Battle of Mogadishu.

The sun sets over the Somali capital of Mogadishu on Thursday. For more than a decade, US special forces have been operating in the country assisting with counter-terrorism

American forces have been back operating in Somalia for more than a decade. Since 2007, Al-Shabaab has been fighting to overthrow the internationally backed government in Somalia.

On Thursday, the UN Security Council warned that 'internal and external pressures risk undermining Somalia's political unity' and expressed serious concern at the ongoing threats posed by Al-Shabaab.

Somalia, which borders restive Kenya and lies across the Gulf of Aden from conflict-wracked Yemen, began to fall apart in 1991, when warlords ousted dictator Siad Barre and then turned on each other.

Years of conflict and attacks by al-Shabab, along with famine, shattered the country of some 12 million people. It has been trying to rebuild since establishing its first functioning transitional government in 2012.

Al-Shabab, which is fighting to impose Shariah law across Somalia, was pushed out of the capital, Mogadishu, and other major urban cities more than two years ago.

But the extremist group still carries out suicide attacks across Somalia.A Fox News has apologized for calling the summit between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un as a meeting of 'two dictators.'

Fox & Friends co-host Abby Huntsman made the comment on Sunday as TV footage showed the Republican president landing in Singapore for a summit with Kim on Tuesday.

Guest and former White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci didn't catch it.

But the daughter of U.S. Ambassador to Russia Jon Huntsman later apologized on air for what she had said.

Fox & Friends co-host Abby Huntsman called President Donald Trump 'a dictator' as TV footage showed the Republican landing in Singapore for a summit with Kim Jong-un on Tuesday

Huntsman (seen left and during Sunday's show right) apologized for the remark, saying it was a mistake

North Korean ruler Kim (left) is seen in Singapore on Sunday with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong

Her gaffe still took off on Twitter.

'Freudian or not, I'm glad they're finally acknowledging what's up,' said one Twitter user.

'Mooch doesn't miss a beat and apparently finds the description totally normal,' tweeted another Twitter user.

'That moment when a Fox & Friends host accidentally calls Trump a dictator and no one bats an eye,' another Twitter user said on Sunday.

The two leaders arrived in Singapore on Sunday for their talks, which initially were billed as an effort to rid North Korea of its nuclear weapons.

Abby Huntsman is the daughter of Jon Huntsman, Trump's ambassador to Russia. Huntsman is seen above in St. Petersburg last month

The meeting has been downplayed by Trump in recent days.

Trump has been criticized for what some people say are authoritarian tendencies.

He is highly critical of the news media while also being full of praise for strongmen like Russian President Vladimir Putin, China's President Xi Jinping, and Filipino leader Rodrigo Duterte, among others.

Trump has also shocked observers for the cold shoulder he has shown America's traditional allies in the West.

During the recent G7 summit in Canada, Trump angered the heads of the democratic industrialized nations, including Germany, France, Japan, and others for his trade policies.

Trump on Saturday blasted Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as 'weak' and 'dishonest' over comments that the latter made about plans to impose tariffs on Canadian exports.

What is just as surprising is the fact that the errant comment about Trump being a 'dictator' was made by a host on Fox News, a channel that has largely been supportive of the president.

Trump flew into Singapores Paya Lebar Air Base aboard Air Force One, looking to strike a deal that will lead to the denuclearization of one of Americas bitterest foes.

He came from a divisive G7 meeting in Canada with some of Washingtons closest allies that further strained global trade ties.

After stepping down from Air Force One on a steamy tropical night, Trump was greeted by Singapore Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan.

'It's all coming together,' comedian Kathy Griffin tweeted about Huntsman's comment on Fox News

Asked by a reporter how he felt about the summit, Trump said: Very good.

North Koreas Kim landed in Singapore earlier on Sunday.

When Trump and Kim meet on Tuesday at Sentosa, a resort island off Singapores port with a Universal Studios theme park and man-made beaches, they will be making history.

Enemies since the 1950-53 Korean War, leaders of North Korea and the United States have never met previously - or even spoken on the telephone.

Kim arrived at Singapores Changi Airport after his longest trip overseas as head of state, wearing his trademark dark 'Mao suit' and distinctive high-cut hairstyle.

He has not left his country since taking office in 2011 other than to visit China and the South Korean side of the border Demilitarized Zone.

Arriving on a plane loaned by China, which for decades has been North Koreas only major ally, Kim was also greeted by Balakrishnan.Many local authorities are charging family carers for respite breaks when they desperately need time off, figures have revealed.

More than six million people in the UK care for relatives, and councils can fund cover for them if they are deemed eligible.

But statistics obtained by Labour from 88 councils show that 52 now charge fees for respite care.

Local authorities are charging family carers for respite breaks when they desperately need time off, new statistics from Labour have revealed (stock image)

Twenty councils said they had raised charges over the last three years.

That is despite Government social care guidance stating: 'In most cases local authorities do not charge for providing support to carers.' The average cost of a week's stay in a care home ranges from about 500 a week to 740.

Helena Herklots, of Carers UK, said services would 'collapse' without unpaid carers.

Last year the Government allocated an extra 2billion to social care, meaning councils have access to 9.4billion of dedicated funding.Family members of a girl who was murdered in 1991 have spoken out against laws put in place for those on the NSW Child Protection Register.

Statistics have shown that the number of child predators who've breached the conditions of the NSW Child Protection Register have almost doubled since 2013.

The number of breaches has risen from 170 in 2013 to 361 in 2017.

There are strict laws in place which protect the identities of those on the register even if they breach the conditions or re-offend.

Family of Leigh Bradley (pictured) who was murdered in 1991 have spoken out against protection laws in place for those on the NSW Child Protection Register

The statistics were released by The Daily Telegraph which showed the course of action favoured by the courts is to impose 'bond without supervision', which was given to a total of 107 offenders.

The Daily Telegraph spoke to Erin Bradley and her family who suffered a tragic loss when Ms Bradley's older sister Leigh Bradley was murdered in 1991. Her killer is protected under the NSW Child Protection Register.

Her killer is on the register, and has been since his release from prison in 2008. Since then he has twice breached his conditions by making contact with a 15-year-old girl and joining social media without permission.

Leigh Bradley was last seen in 1991 at Bankstown Square in western Sydney, before it was discovered she had been murdered

'Its disgusting that as victims of crime we dont have anyone looking out for our safety in the community, but his identity is protected by law,' Ms Bradley said.

'If he moved to my suburb we would not be told.'

Leigh Bradley was just 17 years old when she was murdered in 1991. She was last seen at Bankstown Square in Sydney's west.

The Daily Telegraph attempted to contact Leigh Bradley's killer, who has been living in Wagga Wagga since 2014, but he refused to comment.

After police had learned of his breaches a magistrate imposed a 12-month good behaviour bond on the man.

Under the Child Protection Register anyone convicted of a nominated or violent offence against a child will have to register at the closest police station to where they live within 28 days of sentencing, release or relocation.

Member for Bankstown Tania Mihailuk (pictured) spoke out against the register and said the government needed to address clear inefficiencies with the law

They are then required to keep police up to date with a number of details including travel plans, personal information, with a minimum of eight years on the register if they are an adult.

State Member for Bankstown Ms Tania Mihailuk spoke out against the register and said the government needed to address clear inefficiencies.

'This government has to deal with the systemic problems that exist in a very dysfunctional child protection system,' she said.

'It's very clear the coroner has said that this government must address urgently the inadequacy of resources provided to care in New South Wales.'Advertisement

This is the dramatic moment Barnaby Joyce confronted a news photographer who snapped photos of him and his upset partner Vikki Campion outside church.

The pictures can be revealed as the former deputy prime minister defended his ugly Armidale confrontation with photographer Guy Finlay.

Mr Joyce claimed Mr Finlay had been 'hiding in the trees' waiting for his family, one week after the MP and his lover accepted $150,000 for a paid TV interview.

The politician - who is on medical leave - claimed 'private individuals' like his former media adviser Ms Campion and son Sebastian deserved stronger privacy protections.

'For public figures like myself ... I understand you're a public figure and you're going to be part of the media,' Mr Joyce told Channel Seven's Sunrise program on Monday.

'For private individuals I think they deserved a greater protection so they can live their life un-interfered with and not be harassed over a long period of time'.

The veteran photographer claimed Mr Joyce 'balled his fists and stormed towards me' - while Ms Campion 'looked at (Mr Joyce) like he had lost his mind'.

What are you looking at? Barnaby Joyce and partner Vikki Campion were walking their son Sebastian out of church in Armidale on Sunday when Mr Joyce spotted photographer Guy Finlay across the road

Mr Joyce and Ms Campion last week sat down with Channel Seven's Sunday night program in exchange for an $150,000 fee, with the funds to be paid into a trust for their newborn baby boy Sebastian

Turning the tables: Mr Joyce soon decided to whip his phone out of his pocket and turn its camera on the photographer - filming their uncomfortable altercation on his personal device

Ms Campion (above) looked at Mr Joyce 'like he had lost his mind' during the confrontation, Mr Finlay claimed. She bared her soul on national television a week ago, saying 'you can't help who you fall in love with'

Ms Campion (left) was left visibly distressed by the altercation. Meantime, Mr Joyce could be heard in the clip disputing the photographer's claims he had 'sized him up' to punch him

'He got two metres away from me when I started to think ''hang on he is going to hit me'',' Matrix Picture Agency photographer Mr Finlay told Daily Mail Australia.

'So I went back towards the church.

'Vikki was on the other side of the road with Sebastian in a pram looking at Barnaby like he had lost his mind.

'(Vikki) was a journalist. She knows how this works and she should tell Barnaby that,' he said.

In the video, Mr Finlay said: 'How can you seriously come out of church and size someone up to punch them?

Mr Joyce retorted: 'I didn't size you up to punch you ... That's bulls***.'

'Go back to your regular job as a bouncer,' Mr Finlay fired back.

Mr Joyce can be seen following Mr Finlay and repeatedly asked him: 'What's your name mate? What's your name? Why are you walking away mate?'

Mr Finlay declined to give him his name or his employer.

Another local could then be heard telling Mr Finlay to 'go to hell', while Mr Joyce vehemently disputed claims he had been threatening to him.

An unimpressed Mr Joyce glared down the barrel of the camera and had some words for Mr Finlay - who he complained did not say his name or where he was from

Former Daily Telegraph journalist Ms Campion was visibly distressed as her partner confronted the photographer outside the Saints Mary & Joseph Cathedral

Mr Joyce turned his phone camera on the photographer in order to spark public debate about privacy laws

The agency photographer snapped away more than a hundred pictures as the Joyce-Campion clan left church

Veteran photographer Guy Finlay, from Sydney, claimsed the former Deputy Prime Minister 'sized him up' outside church

'Barnaby can't do this every time a photographer or news crew see him in the street,' Mr Finlay told Daily Mail Australia.

'He needs to control himself - if you were actually punch someone that is breaking the law and you get in trouble for doing that.'

Mr Finlay was sent up to Armidale by his agency to photograph Mr Joyce and Ms Campion following their appearance on Sunday Night last week.

The couple has said the $150,000 they were paid for the interview will go into a trust to support their newborn baby son, Sebastian.

'It isn't a personal thing, it isn't a stalker thing. I am doing my job, I am trying to support my family,' Mr Finlay said.

'It is a supply and demand thing - if he left politics and got a job as a plumber he wouldn't have this to deal with.'

BARNABY JOYCE'S PRIVACY LAW CALL AFTER CONFRONTATION WITH A NEWS PHOTOGRAPHER Joyce, centre, has called for a 'tort of privacy' to protect private individuals Barnaby Joyce on Monday launched a renewed defence of his stoush with photographer Gun Finlay - ramping up his calls for stronger privacy laws to fend off media intrusion. In an interview with Sunrise's David Koch, Mr Joyce claimed: 'The thing is we had a person who didn't identify themselves, was hiding among trees. 'Obviously It's an issue for Vikki, it's an issue for Sebastian. 'If someone was hiding outside your and Libbis's grandkids house and they didn't identify themselves, would you go up and say gidday to them?' He said private individuals like his lover and son deserved greater privacy protection. Ms Campion, who sat down with her partner in a nationally televised TV interview, dropped an Australian Press Council privacy complaint against the Daily Telegraph newspaper only recently. 'For public figures like myself you're a public figure, I understand you're a public figure and there's an expectation you're going to be part of the media,' Mr Joyce said. 'For private individuals I think they deserve a greater protection so they can live their life uninterfered and not be harassed over a long period of time which is what I've seen for some time now in close circumstance with Vikki and Seb. 'This is not something that has happened over a day. It's something that has happened over months, now over half a year. And I think there comes a point where there's got to be a better protection than what we've got. 'Because they've got no protection - you can't use defamation, you can't use the press council, none of these things have any affect.' Mr Joyce said he expected to be 'so-called papped, I expect to have to do interviews, that's my job... but private individuals - kid especially - should have greater protections than what they've got.' He said the couple never would have done the TV interview 'if we thought it was just going to continue on, obviously it is'. Advertisement

Barnaby Joyce's new partner Vikki Campion reportedly 'looked at him like he had lost his mind' as he filmed and confronted a photographer outside a church on Sunday

Barnaby Joyce with Vikki Campion and their newborn baby boy Sebastian in a promo for Seven's Sunday Night program

The couple were first revealed to be expecting a baby in February after a visibly pregnant Ms Campion was 'papped' by a News Corp photographer on the street in Canberra

The couple appeared at Armidale Catholic Church over the long weekend - where a photographer was waiting

Plea for privacy: Joyce, seen after he and his partner sat down for an $150k interview

Sunday's stoush sparked a massive reaction on social media, with many commentators pointing out Mr Joyce had lobbied against a bill establishing 150 metre 'safe access zones' near abortion clinics and hospitals that provide terminations.

The bill proposed to ban protesters from obstructing or harassing people accessing abortion services near clinics or hospitals, or record them without their consent.

It became law last week. The pro-life MP has confirmed he contacted New South Wales state MPs to vent about the bill.

One Twitter commentator sarcastically quipped that his argument with the photographer was 'totally different to walking into an abortion clinic, having made one of the most difficult decisions of your life, and being harassed by people judging you for something they know nothing about and has no impact on their lives though.'

Another said: 'I am no expert, but seems to now be lobbying for 'safe access zones' to churches?'

Responding to the criticisms, Mr Joyce said it was another argument in favour of stringent privacy laws.

'Well if we had a proper tort of privacy that would protect people going to clinics, absolutely, because you wouldn't be able to go up and harass somebody,' he said.

'It would be a much better protection than saying, stand back 150 metres'.A playwright's teenage daughters have told how they were encouraged to have sex with her friends in the 1970s.

Rozanna and Kate Lilley, now 55 and 57, were repeatedly raped and sexually assaulted at their mother Dorothy Hewett's bohemian house parties in Wollahara, east Sydney.

Their tormentors included film maker Bob Ellis, album cover artist Martin Sharp and British erotic photographer David Hamilton, who are all now dead.

Rozanna and Kate Lilley (pictured with their mother), now 55 and 57, were repeatedly raped and sexually assaulted at their mother Dorothy Hewett's house parties in Wollahara, Sydney

By the time the girls (pictured) were 16, Kate had slept with six men and Rozanna with 12

Their tormentors included film maker Bob Ellis, album cover artist Martin Sharp (right in 2013) and British erotic photographer David Hamilton (left in 2008), who are all now dead.

By the time the girls were 16, Kate had slept with six men and Rozanna with 12.

Both have now relived their horrifying childhood in new books, in which they describe their parents' home as a 'party house' and a 'brothel without payment.'

The sisters said they were victims of a culture of sexual freedom among the arts community which became predatory and that their mother would tell them sex was the greatest thing in life.

'People liked having us at a party,' Kate told The Australian. 'We were these nubile girls, we were interesting jailbait objects.'

They said dozens of famous men came through their mother's doors for the risque parties - and she, a left wing radical and feminist, encouraged them to join in.

It was unbearable at home,' Kate said, 'I used to have sex with men to prevent them having sex with Rosie. But then I would find out they did have sex with Rosie.'

Rozanna said she had sex with Sharp when she was 15 and that he phoned her decades later to say sorry.

Kate said she had sex with Ellis (pictured in 2002) 'whenever he turned up' at the house.

Rozanna (left) said dozens of famous men came through their mother's doors for the risque parties - and she, a left wing radical and feminist, encouraged them to join in. Hewett would also sleep with the men and her husband - the girls' father (pictured together) - would sleep with other women too

She also recalled how Hamilton once took close up shots of her vagina and breasts after convincing her to agree by showing her his child porn collection to prove that other girls had done the same.

Kate said she had sex with Ellis 'whenever he turned up' at the house.

Hewett, who died in 2002, would also sleep with the men and her husband - the girls' father - would sleep with other women too.

The shocking revelations come as the #MeToo movement continues to uncover sexual abuse allegations in the wake of the bombshell accusations against Harvey Weinstein.

Rozanna is now an anthropologist and autism researcher while Kate is a poet and associate professor of English at the University of Sydney.

Both have produced poems and books based in their harrowing youth.Advertisement

The rescue ship carrying 629 migrants which has been left stranded in the Mediterranean for two days will now be allowed to dock in the Spanish city of Valencia.

The Aquarius rescued hundreds of migrants, including 134 children and seven pregnant women, trying to cross the Mediterranean from Libya on Saturday, but ended up adrift off the coast of Sicily as both Italy and Malta refused to let it dock.

The rescue, carried out by charities SOS Mediterranee and Doctors Without Borders, had been coordinated by Italy's coast guard, but the newly installed government then refused to let the migrants disembark on Italian soil.

Stuck at sea: Some of the 629 migrants rescued on Saturday are seen on the Aquarius, a ship run by SOS Mediterranee and Doctors Without Borders in the Mediterranean

Step by step: Crew from Doctors Without Borders and SOS Mediterranee help migrants stranded in the Mediterranean

Salvini, leader of the anti-immigration League party, said that while saving lives was a duty, 'transforming Italy into an enormous refugee camp is not'. Pictured: Activists help migrants aboard the Aquarius

Las mujeres, al despertarse, rezan. 'All I have to say: thank you, God' ( Solo puedo dar gracias a Dios). #aquarius @MSF_Sea @rne pic.twitter.com/gtlIx5mx4n  Sara Alonso Esparza (@SAlonsoEsparza) June 11, 2018

Saved for a moment: The Aquarius rescue ship has 629 migrants, including 123 unaccompanied minors, 11 other children and seven pregnant women on board

Italy argued that Malta, which is closer to Libya, should take on the migrants, but the Maltese government refused, saying that they had no legal responsibility for the people onboard, causing a two-day deadlock.

After both the UN and the EU put pressure on the two nations to solve the situation, Italy appealed for a fellow EU country to receive the asylum-seekers, to which Spain responded and offered a safe port in Valencia.

Earlier today, Italy's interior minister Matteo Salvini threatened to bar all rescue ships from docking in Italian ports unless Malta would take on the Aquarius and its passengers.

Salvini, leader of the anti-immigration League party, said that while saving lives was a duty, 'transforming Italy into an enormous refugee camp is not', and demanded that the ship should be allowed to dock in Malta.

Salvini reportedly sent a letter to the Maltese authorities saying he would 'be forced to close Italy's ports' if the 629 migrants weren't allowed to land at Malta's capital Valletta. Italy's interior ministry said they had so far been unable to confirm the existence of the letter.

Helped: A rescue worker is seen handing out life jackets on a dingy before dozens of migrants are saved and helped onto the Aquarius on Saturday

Rescued: A picture taken on Saturday shows a group of men who were rescued by an Italian coastguard vessel being transferred onto the Aquarius

Another of the multiple rescue operations which were carried out on Saturday shows dozens of migrants crammed onto a boat being transferred onto a smaller rescue vessel for transportation to the Aquarius

Adrift: The Aquarius was left 'on standby' between the Italian island of Sicily and Malta, in the Mediterranean Sea, before being allowed to dock in Valencia, Spain

'Saving lives at sea is a duty, but transforming Italy into an enormous refugee camp is not,' Salvini, the leader of the right-wing anti-migrant League party, said on Facebook on Monday.

'Italy is done bowing its head and obeying. This time there's someone saying no.'

A spokesperson for Doctors Without Borders said: 'We are under the clear coordination of the Italian MRCC [Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centres] and it is their duty to give us safe instructions to disembark all 629 people on board.

'According to The International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS), a rescue is complete when the people are safely disembarked in a port of safety.'

Earlier today, the United Nations refugee agency called on the governments of Italy and Malta to 'allow the immediate disembarkation' of the migrants on the Aquarius, adding that those onboard 'are running out of provisions.'

A woman is helped by crew on the the MV Aquarius, a search and rescue ship run in partnership between SOS Mediterranee and Medecins Sans Frontieres in the Mediterranean

The Aquarius spent two days drifting in international waters between Italy and Malta after both nations refused to let it dock

Where to go: The operation has been coordinated by the Italian coastguard and carried out by the two charities

The European Commission also urged action, saying Italy and Malta's priority should be the health and safety of those onboard.

WHY IS THE AQUARIUS STUCK AT SEA? This weekend's rescue operation on the Aquarius has been carried out by SOS Mediterranee in partnership with Doctors Without Borders (MSF) and coordinated by the Italian coastguard. As such, it is the Italians who are responsible for telling the Aquarius where it may dock, and Italian Coast Guard vessels picked up more than 280 of the 629 migrants and transferred them to the Aquarius to be taken to safety. Currently, the Aquarius has been ordered to 'stand by' in its current position 35 nautical miles from Italy and 27 nautical miles from Malta. It is not known how long the Aquarius can remain at sea, as Italy has said it is will provide aid on patrol ships, but is awaiting further instructions from the Italian coastguard. A spokesperson for Doctors Without Borders said: 'We are under the clear coordination of the Italian MRCC and it is their duty to give us safe instructions to disembark all 629 people on board. 'According to SOLAS conventions, a rescue is complete when the people are safely disembarked in a port of safety.' Advertisement

'We are talking about people ... The priority of both the Italian and Maltese authorities should be ensuring these people receive the care they need,' Commission spokesman Margaritis Schinas told a news conference.

'We call on all involved to contribute to a swift resolution so that the people on board the Aquarius vessel may be safely disembarked as soon as possible,' Schinas said.

A crew member who spoke to a local news channel warned that dozens of people on board are in need of medical care, and that the ship needs to dock - regardless of in which country.

'The people we saved yesterday [Saturday] were in a difficult condition, at least 50 were at risk of drowning,' Aquarius crew member Alessandro Porro told news channel Sky TG24.

'We need to have an idea of what port to go to, something that up to now we haven't had.'

Italian premier Giuseppe Conte said that Italy has sent two patrol ships with doctors on board 'ready to intervene and ensure the health of anyone on board the Aquarius who might have the need'.

Before Spain made an offer to let the Aquarius dock in Valencia, several Italian cities did the same - despite the government's refusal.

The mayor of the southern port of Taranto, Rinaldo Melucci, said the city was 'ready to embrace every life in danger'.

'Our land has always been one of refuge, I don't know how you can send away 629 human lives,' he added.

The Mayor of Naples Luigi de Magistris said on Twitter that 'if a minister without a heart leaves pregnant women, children, old people, human being to die, the port of Naples is ready to welcome them'.

Minister of the Interior Matteo Salvini (pictured) threatened to bar rescue ships from docking in the country's ports after Malta refused to take hundreds of migrants

Some 400 of the migrants on the Aquarius had been picked up by the Italian navy, the country's coastguard and private cargo ships, and then transferred onto the larger vessel, SOS Mediterranee said Sunday.

On Saturday night, the Aquarius rescued another 229 migrants, including 123 unaccompanied minors, 11 other children, and seven pregnant women.

Italy's spat with Malta began after its reported refusal to come to the aid of another rescue ship Seefuchs, which was stranded with 126 migrants on board due to violent seas until it was allowed to dock at the Sicilian port of Pozzallo on Saturday.

EU rules mean migrants must apply for asylum in the European country where they first arrive, putting pressure on Italy and Greece, the entry points for hundreds of thousands of people fleeing war and poverty in the Middle East, Africa and Asia since 2015.

Stuck: SOS Mediterranee's ship, the Aquarius (pictured in April, 2018), carries some 630 people who were picked up by the Italian navy

At the weekend, Italian authorities held the migrant rescue boat Sea-Watch 3 for 12 hours after it brought 232 people to Reggio Calabria, on the south-western tip of the mainland.

Police questioned the boat's captain for more than four hours, according to Sea-Watch - the NGO that operates the vessel - and journalists aboard were asked to hand over video footage of the June 5 rescue operation.

Sea-Watch said it requested help from the coastguard in Malta to send boats to aid the rescue mission but Malta refused.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Sunday called for an EU-wide border protection force, as well as a joint asylum authority and collective standards for granting or refusing applications for protection.

EU leaders in December had set an end-of-June deadline for an overhaul of rules to create a permanent mechanism to deal with migrants in the event of a new emergency.

The summer of 2016 saw a surge in mass drownings in the Mediterranean as Europe's worst migration crisis since World War II peaked with hundreds of thousands of people fleeing war and poverty in the Middle East and elsewhere.

The United Nations says at least 785 migrants have died crossing the sea so far this year.Theresa May will today call on die-hard Remainer Tories to prove they respect the Brexit referendum result by backing her in a series of crunch votes.

The PM will urge rebels to send a message of unity to the country as she tries to reverse attempts by Peers to scupper Britain's departure from the EU.

A group of pro-EU MPs are threatening to vote with Labour on a string of House of Lords amendments to the EU Withdrawal Bill which  if not overturned  would do catastrophic damage to the negotiations.

Defiant Theresa May will urge rebels to send a message of unity to the country

Mrs May will tell them: 'We must be clear that we are united as a party in our determination to deliver on the decision made by the British people.'

It comes on the eve of two days of high-stakes debates in the House of Commons.

In an unprecedented show of unity, former Cabinet Ministers Amber Rudd and Iain Duncan Smith told pro-EU backbenchers to 'march in lockstep' or risk opening the door for Jeremy Corbyn.

Miss Rudd, who backed Remain, and Mr Duncan Smith, a Brexiteer, accused Mr Corbyn of 'cynically trying to frustrate the Brexit process for his own political ends'.

Ministers hope to avoid defeat on amendments which seek to keep Britain in the single market and customs union, delay the date of Brexit and tie Mrs May's hands on the Northern Ireland border.

The most damaging, which attempts to wrest control of the negotiations from Number 10 and hand it to Parliament, could remove the threat of the UK simply walking away from a bad deal and could even be used to stop Brexit altogether. But last night several Tories went public to make clear they would vote against the Prime Minister.

Former chancellor Ken Clarke suggested he would vote against the Government on at least three issues including the single market. Dr Sarah Wollaston, the chairman of the Health Select Committee, wrote on Twitter that she would try to ensure a 'soft Brexit'.

And on Friday serial rebel Antoinette Sandbach appeared to endorse an article on Twitter under the headline 'Remainers need courage to go for the kill'. Addressing the 1922 committee of Tory backbenchers today, Mrs May will say: 'The message we send to the country through our votes this week is important.

'We must be clear that we are united as a party in our determination to deliver on the decision made by the British people.'

Remainer Peers attached 15 amendments to the Bill, which puts EU legislation on the UK statute book and repeals the 1972 European Communities Act.

Cabinet Ministers Amber Rudd and Iain Duncan Smith told pro-EU backbenchers to 'march in lockstep' or risk opening the door for Jeremy Corbyn

Ministers will attempt to overturn or amend all but one over 12 hours of debate.

Leading Brexiteer Bill Cash, the chairman of the European Scrutiny Committee, said: 'Those who are prepared to vote against the Government are also voting against the country and defying the referendum result.

'They have already voted for the Withdrawal Bill at third reading and cannot justify reversing that vote.'

Labour MP Caroline Flint, whose Don Valley seat voted two to one to leave, said any delay to leaving would mean voters taking part in EU elections next year which would be 'completely wrong'.Dozens of Afghan interpreters who served with British troops will be given sanctuary in the UK after a campaign by the Mail.

Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson last night tore up a failed policy that meant brave translators were abandoned to the Taliban.

Around 50 who served on the frontline in Helmand alongside UK soldiers will now be granted visas to Britain under new qualifying measures. They will also be able to bring their wives and children, taking the figure to an estimated 200.

The decision is a huge victory for the Mails three-year Betrayal of the Brave campaign, which revealed how interpreters left behind in Afghanistan were shot at, issued with death threats and even executed on their doorsteps.

The Afghan translators were injured in Helmand Province (shown in a stock picture) alongside UK troops

Mr Williamson said a review of the Governments existing relocation scheme would honour the extraordinary service of those who risked their lives to serve with our Armed Forces. Writing in the Mail today, he said: Frontline patrol interpreters were the unsung heroes of the military campaign in Afghanistan.

They served our nation with dazzling distinction. Standing shoulder to shoulder with our troops on the battlefield, they demonstrated unflinching courage in carrying out duties that were fraught with great difficulty and danger. And we will do what is right to honour their extraordinary service.

He added: That is why after reviewing the scheme we are bringing forward plans to make it fairer and to make sure we deliver for those who were at greatest risk for the longest periods.

Under the current relocation scheme, interpreters had to be serving on an arbitrary date in December 2012 to qualify. They also had to have served in Helmand  the scene of some of the fiercest fighting  for at least a year.

So far, several hundred former translators have started new lives here, but the policy has also excluded those who worked with British troops during some of the worst fighting in Helmand in the years before 2012. Mr Williamson will widen the qualifying period to include those who spent at least a year with British forces as far back as 2006 to allow those interpreters who put their lives on the line during those difficult years in Helmand to be able to move to the UK.

He admitted the existing policy failed to take account of the immense sacrifice and service of many who had left before that time [2012]. The qualifying period for the relocation policy now extends back to May 1 2006, the day British forces assumed responsibility for Helmand.

Those deemed eligible to come to the UK will be granted a five-year visa. They will then have to apply for indefinite leave to remain, but the 2,389 application fee will be waived.

Mr Williamson will also review cases in which interpreters were not made redundant but served on the frontline under short-term contracts or were forced to quit because of death threats.

Hope at last for translator who helped the SAS A former Afghan interpreter for the SAS who was hunted relentlessly by the Taliban is among those whose cases will now be reviewed. Abdul, who worked on the frontline for nearly five years, was forced to hide in the shadows after the property where he was staying was sprayed with bullets as part of a terrifying campaign of intimidation. Speaking from his hiding place in Kabul last night, he said: This is very good news and I pray that I will be included with my wife and children. We have been hiding from the Taliban for too long. Lives on the line: Abdul, right, with another Afghan interpreter in Helmand The 35-year-old father-of-four is desperate to be reunited with his brother, who was also a translator and has been granted sanctuary in Britain. Abdul began working for UK forces in 2007 but stopped in June 2012 when his contract ended and he did not try to renew it because of death threats. Because he stopped working before the December 2012 qualification date, he was not entitled to come to Britain under the UKs relocation scheme. Advertisement

Up to 70 Afghan interpreters are thought to be affected in this way. The relocation policy was one of two under which those who served for the UK Armed Forces during the 13-year war could be given sanctuary. A second measure, known as an intimidation scheme, forced interpreters to prove they were threatened by the Taliban.

However, a scathing report by the Commons defence select committee last month found that not a single interpreter had been allowed to the UK under the scheme. A Daily Mail-backed petition over the treatment of translators was signed by more than 178,000 people, including former generals and politicians.

Last night many of those who backed our campaign expressed their delight at its outcome.

Alexander Perkins, who completed two tours in Afghanistan as a captain in the Scots Guards, said: I am delighted that our Government has decided to scrap this arbitrary policy. Its staggering that its taken five years and so much work from so many people for them to simply do the right thing.

We owe translators concrete actions rather than just words, says Defence Secretary GAVIN WILLIAMSON Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson praised the campaign Frontline patrol interpreters were the unsung heroes of the military campaign in Afghanistan. Standing shoulder to shoulder with our troops on the battlefield they demonstrated unflinching courage in carrying out duties that were fraught with great difficulty and danger. The Mail has led the way in championing their contribution  and I cannot be clearer in expressing our nations eternal appreciation to these brave individuals who regularly risked life and limb to help defeat our enemies and protect us from terrorists. But we owe them more than just warm words. Thats why today I am announcing that we will bring forward plans to expand our relocation scheme to recognise and honour their service  meaning more former Afghan interpreters and their families can start a new life here in the United Kingdom if they wish to do so. More than 1,000 Afghans have made Britain their home under the Governments existing arrangements following the gradual withdrawal of British combat troops. And we estimate up to a further 200 will be able to benefit from the changes we are proposing, which will see the relocation eligibility criteria extended by six years. This will see all interpreters who were made redundant having served for at least a year on the front line from May 2006 eligible to come here along with their families. This marks the date British forces took control of the operation in Helmand and is a departure from the existing rules, which meant interpreters had to still be serving in December 2012 to qualify. While initially this was done with the best of intentions to mark the announcement of the gradual British withdrawal from the region, it failed to take account of the immense sacrifice and service of many who had left before that time. That is why after reviewing the scheme we are bringing forward plans to make it fairer and to make sure we deliver for those who were at greatest risk for the longest periods. Britain is a nation that always takes its international responsibilities seriously. Thats why we have supported hundreds of Afghans who worked alongside our troops in a range of roles financially as well as by offering education and training opportunities for five years. We also continue to be the only country to have a team based in Afghanistan dedicated to responding to threats made against our valued former Afghan colleagues. As Defence Secretary, I will always be a voice for our Armed Forces and for those who steadfastly support them. Brave Afghan interpreters played a vital role in keeping our streets safe from those who want to do this country harm. They served our nation with dazzling distinction. And we will do what is right to honour their extraordinary service. Advertisement

Mr Perkins, the great-grandson of Winston Churchill, added: As great as this is for those who are now able to re-locate to the UK, we must not forget that in the interim period some interpreters and their families have died as a result of the initial policy  either directly at the hands of the Taliban or in attempting to escape.

Former Afghan interpreter Rafi Hottak said: I am very pleased at this change of policy and I would like to thank the Daily Mail for its compassionate, powerful campaign that has never given up on interpreters and helped bring this about. Dr Julian Lewis, chairman of the Commons defence select committee, said the Government must still overhaul its intimidation scheme. He said: There may well be people who loyally served British troops at risk of intimidation that will not qualify for relocation under the rules.

Major James Driscoll, who started a petition in 2015, said: At last the British Government are doing the right thing. This is fantastic.The death of a young boy in Afghanistan allegedly at the hands of Australian special forces is among three incidents being scrutinised by a defence inquiry.

The boy was working as a shepherd, along with his brother, when he was shot dead in a suspected helicopter attack carried out by Australian soldiers in Uruzgan.

It had been thought a long stick one of the boys was holding at the time was a radio antenna and the pair were looking-out for the Taliban, The Australian reported.

The death of a young boy in Afghanistan allegedly at the hands of Australian special forces is being examined by a defence inquiry (stock image)

The boy's death is one of three incidents being scrutinised by the Inspector General of the Defence Force inquiry (stock image)

The boy's brother suffered a leg wound as a result of the attack, with the family reportedly receiving compensation.

The inquiry by the Inspector General of the Defence Force is closely examining 'rumours of possible breaches of the Laws of Armed Conflict by members of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) in Afghanistan, between 2005 and 2016'.

Investigators reportedly contacted human rights workers in Afghanistan seeking information that may have been provided to local authorities about the boy's death inside a compound, along with three other civilian deaths.

Those included the deaths of a father and his young son in 2013 after Australian special forces raided an Uruzgan village and claimed the man had aimed a pistol in their direction.

It was alleged by villagers the father was shot while he was asleep in bed with his son, who died in the gunfire, although soldiers reportedly claimed they did not know the boy was also there.

It is anticipated the wide-ranging defence inquiry will be finalised by year's end.Emmanuel Macron and Donald Trump indulged in the third round of their ongoing handshake duel at the G7 summit.

Photographs showed how the French president grasped Mr Trump with such force that he left the pale imprint of his thumb.

Mr Trump had to break off contact after Mr Macron pulled the US President's hand towards him.

At the pair's first encounter in May last year, Mr Trump greeted Mr Macron with an eye-wateringly strong handshake.

Their subsequent 30-second grasp when Mr Trump visited Paris appeared warmer but was still competitive.

Ouch! President Trump winces at the strength of Macron's grip

The pale imprint of Trump's hand could be clearly seenThe executive producer of Tom Ballard's ABC comedy show Tonightly suggested it make fun of how 'racist' Australians are to win over Chinese viewers.

Dan Ilic, a former host of axed ABC comedy show Hungry Beast, sent around internal leaked documents outlining what he believed to be weaknesses of the weeknight program.

Tonightly's 36-year-old executive producer compiled a memo describing how its 'white writers' and 'white performers' were weaknesses of the taxpayer-funded show, documents obtained by The Australian revealed.

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The executive producer of Tom Ballard's ABC comedian show Tonightly suggested it make fun of how 'racist' Australians are to win over Chinese viewers

Dan Ilic, a former host of axed ABC comedy show Hungry Beast, sent around internal leaked documents outlining what he believed to be weaknesses of the daily program

Ilic, a former stand-up comedian who grew up in Sydney's affluent northern suburbs, suggested the show could have a 'Chinese play' about how 'we're hugely racist'.

The three-page internal documents have surfaced two days after Ballard strenuously denied an allegation he had sexually assaulted an aspiring male comedian in a hotel room in 2014.

'I have not done anything wrong,' the versatile homosexual entertainer said on a blog post on Saturday.

'Over the past six months I have become aware of a claim being made about me,' Ballard wrote.

'It involves an allegation of sexual assault: an allegation that I completely deny in the strongest terms possible.

Tonightly's 36-year-old executive producer compiled a memo describing how its 'white writers' and 'white performers' were weaknesses of the taxpayer-funded show

'It fundamentally goes against who I am as a person and everything I believe in.'

Ballard, a 28-year-old former Triple-J breakfast presenter, refuted the allegation made by a man he had had 'a consensual sexual experience with' four years ago following an accusation made on Facebook.

'His version of that experience as described on social media is simply not what happened,' he said.

Ballard said 'I abhor sexual assault and sexual violence' and added 'I absolutely support the philosophy of the #MeToo movement'.

Ballard, a 28-year-old former Triple-J breakfast presenter, denied the allegation made by a man he had had 'a consensual sexual experience with' four years ago

Ironically Ilic's memo said the program's lack of content about the #Me Too movement outing male sexual predators was a weakness of the show.

In another irony Ilic, who as a Macquarie University student in 2001 volunteered for former right-wing federal Liberal MP Ross Cameron, praised Tonightly's panning of former federal Labor leader Mark Latham as 'the strongest part of the show'.

Until March 2017, Cameron and Latham co-hosted the Outsiders program on Sky News which mocked left-wing political correctness.

Ilic, who in his youth designed Ross Cameron's Parramatta electorate website, also praised the show for its work on right-wing British-born provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos.

Cameron and Latham both emceed Yiannopoulos' Sydney tour last year, after protesters had heckled audience members arriving at the Lilyfield venue.YouTuber Jade Bowler, who shares revision tips with her 190,000 followers, posted a video of herself sobbing after being faced with a 42-page paper

Parents have slammed the 'disgusting' pressure faced by pupils who have been left in tears after sitting tougher GCSE's and A-levels.

Teenagers have had panic attacks, been sick or collapsed exhausted at their desks following the biggest exam shake-up in a generation.

Teachers say pupils have been left feeling demoralised after being unable to finish papers and failing to understand all the questions.

Reforms mean that around 750,000 teenagers are sitting tougher GCSEs and A-levels this summer, with some completing more than 30 papers.

New GCSEs will be graded 1 to 9, with 9 being the top grade, to allow more differentiation between the highest performing pupils.

The changes were triggered by former education secretary Michael Gove following research showing British pupils were falling behind peers in other countries.

Employers have long complained that youngsters do not leave school with the right skills and campaigners have pointed to a 'dumbing down' of the curriculum under the previous Labour government.

YouTube star Jade Bowler shared her anguish with the world after running out of time in her A-level biology exam

But students have criticised the exams on social media, with many saying they left them in tears.

YouTube star Jade Bowler, who shares revision tips with her 190,000 followers, posted a video of herself sobbing after being faced with a 42-page paper.

'I have never in my entire life done as badly as I did in that exam,' the 18-year-old said.

She added: 'I didn't answer about four questions. I'm not going to try to hide how appalling I found that. I just ran out of time.'

Parents have also complained saying their children have been left in tears over the exams

Another pupil, Emma Wickham, tweeted: 'Don't think I've ever cried so much about school till A-levels!! Stressed is not even the word, someone put me out of my misery.'

Kirsty Scott said her history exam 'was genuinely the hardest one I've sat so far'.

Another teen agreed, adding that she had emailed her teacher after being thrown by the questions.

One told how she was being pushed to the brink of a mental breakdown over the exams.

Students have taken to Twitter to reveal how stressful they found the exams, with some claiming they almost had a 'mental breakdown'

'Chlo' wrote: 'Exams are really getting the better of me almost had a mental breakdown over chromatography saying I'd forgot to revise it and took me 10 mins to remember that's chemistry..'

Another said: 'I could cry right now I am absolutely not okay.'

When and why changes to GCSE's and A-levels were introduced Michael Gove announced sweeping reforms to the structure, style and content of GCSE's and A-levels when he was Education Secretary in 2013. The core changes included making the exams more challenging, providing more essay style questions, making them harder to resit, and removing coursework for the majority of subjects. He told MPs at the time: 'By making GCSEs more demanding, more fulfilling, and more stretching we can give our young people the broad, deep and balanced education which will equip them to win in the global race.' The changes to AS and A-levels were first taught in schools from September 2015, with the first results for AS lvels in 2015 and for A-lvels in 2017. More subjects are being added for next year. New style GCSE's were first taught in English language, English literature and maths from September 2015, with the first results issued in August 2017. More subjects have been added for this year and next. There is also a new GCSE grading system, with grading moving to a 9-1 scale instead of the A* to G. Advertisement

Parents also complained, with one tweeting: 'Not sure who the new science and maths GCSEs are designed for Michael Gove but I had a daughter in tears last night saying, 'I've worked so hard but don't feel like it's paying off as the exams are so difficult...' This from a confident, able student!'

Louise Wearden wrote: 'Tonight my beautiful, bright 16-year-old daughter cried so hard in fear of her GCSE maths paper & English lit paper 2!

'The new exams are so tough & pressure too much!'

Mother Alison Barnett told Mailonline: 'My son is 17 and was the first year of doing the GCSE new system.

'It was hard going. There is far too much pressure for the age group. Not every child is an academic and this is wrong.

'Michael Grove should be made to sit the exams himself. Some have 22 exams and more. It's absolutely ludicrous.'

And parent Shazia Aktar, whose 15-year old daughter is doing her GCSE's branded the pressure students are put under as 'disgusting'

She told Mailonline: 'I have a 15 year old daughter who cried when she returned home from school on Thursday after finishing her history paper.

'She was so upset she locked herself in her bedroom, she didnt get to complete her paper. I'm gutted for her as a parent as I know how hard she has studied.'

Another parent, a secondary school teacher who has a 16-year-old son currently taking GCSE's, told Mailonline they were 'horrified by the amount of work and pressure put on child.'

They added: 'In previous years I am certain that she would have almost enjoyed these exams as they would have been an opportunity for her to show her knowledge and enthusiasm for her subjects.

'However, because of the excessive content of the new syllabuses, unlike previous years, she did not even get a study leave period as they had not finished covering the syllabus.

'She has come out of many exams demoralised and angry that so much of the work they have done was not tested.

Some students told how they broke down in tears after sitting this year's exams

'Hardly surprising as although there is an increase in content there doesnt appear to be a corresponding increase in exam time. Its astonishing.'

Tanith Carey is author of the book Taming the Tiger Parent: How to put your childs well-being first in a competitive world' and has a 16-year-old daughter Lily, who is currently taking her GCSE's.

Ms Carey, from Highgate, North London said: Children in the UK were already the most tested in the world before the Government made the subject areas they had to cover this year so vast, they now feel its almost impossible to cope.

The scope and the scale of what is being tested is just totally overwhelming.

Parents have also complained, with one tweeting: 'Not sure who the new science and maths GCSEs are designed for Michael Gove (pictured) but I had a daughter in tears last night

For example my daughter Lily'shistory exam covered the run-up to WW2 war in Germany, the Russian revolution and Civil War, American History from the 1950s to the early 70s, and the China from the turn of the century to the early 80s.'

Thats was just one GSCE.'

The mother added: By making exams so much harder and grading them with numbers up to 9, all that is happening is that a huge number of children feel totally hopeless - particularly now that GSCEs are now much more important to their university entrance chances now.

'Indeed I have already heard about children having break-downs, suicidal thoughts and fainting during exams. I think we need to keep a close eye on incidents before and during exam times to see if there's a direct correlation.'

Teachers have told how they have been forced to schedule extra lessons and set additional homework just to cover the new syllabuses.

An English teacher at a west London comprehensive said: 'I've got a girl in my Year 11 class who's perfectly capable but she's stopped coming to school because she's finding it too overwhelming.

'I have to run two extra one-hour lessons a week at 7.45am. It's not a refresher or revision class, it's because we haven't got through the new syllabus.

'In GCSE English it's all exams  there is no coursework  and pupils are not allowed to bring in any of the texts. They effectively have to memorise three texts and 18 poems. The expectation is killing them.'

A history teacher from Gloucester told BBC Radio 5 Live: 'New GCSEs are a totally demoralising experience for staff and students.

'Every lesson we had to teach a different topic and then had to move on. Students had no time to reflect.

Would these questions have stumped you too? GCSE ENGLISH LITERATURE How does Shakespeare present Macbeth and Banquo's attitudes towards the supernatural? GCSE PHYSICS Discuss whether 'sieverts' - a unit of measurement used for radiation doses - should be changed to the Banana Equivalent Dose, an informal measurement of radiation exposure. Work out the radius of a magnesium atom. GCSE BIOLOGY Explain why carrots do not increase in mass when they are boiled. Advertisement

'I had to set hundreds of hours of homework and by the end of Year 11 I had set nearly 100 homework tasks including revision and catch-up work.

'Before and after exams I witnessed students with ashen faces in tears and others being physically sick.

'Most students missed questions or simply could not understand the question.'

However, the reaction by students and their parents was also ridiculed by others telling them to stop complaining.

One university student wrote: 'Can those going through GCSEs currently stop complaining. Ive just finished my first year at Uni; shut the hell up!

'Your life is easy, like maybe if it were A-levels, it would give you some excuse to b***h and moan, but no, not for GCSEs!

The new maths and English exams with the numbered grading system were phased in last year but this year will be the first time pupils are sitting new exams in 20 other subjects, including science, French, German, Spanish, history and geography.

A grade 4 is a pass, equivalent to a C, while a grade 7 is equivalent to an A. Speaking in May, schools minister Nick Gibb said the new qualifications were designed to be on a par with the best performing education systems in the world.

He said: 'These more rigorous, gold-standard GCSEs are helping to nurture the next generation of scientists, linguists and historians.

The new qualifications have been designed with employers in mind (stock image)

'Thanks to our reforms and the hard work of teachers, education standards are rising in our schools and last year, teachers and pupils responded well to the new English and maths exams.'

The new qualifications have been designed with employers in mind following consultation with specialists.

For example, the new science GCSEs now include space physics, and the new computer science GCSE will provide greater focus on programming.

It comes after international tests by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development found 15-year-olds in England have been slipping behind their peers in many other countries in reading, maths and science.

YouTube star sobs after biology exams Jade Bowler, who shares revision tips with her 190,000 followers posted a video of herself sobbing after her A-level biology exam After crumbling under pressure in an exam, most students would head for the privacy of the school toilets. But a YouTube star shared her anguish with the world after running out of time in her A-level biology exam. Jade Bowler, who shares revision tips with her 190,000 followers, posted a video of herself sobbing after being faced with a 42-page paper. 'I have never in my entire life done as badly as I did in that exam,' the 18-year-old said. 'I didn't answer about four questions. I'm not going to try to hide how appalling I found that. 'I just ran out of time and when you run out of time and don't answer questions there's no chance.' Miss Bowler, who has a place to study biology at Bristol University if she scores AAB in her exams, added: 'I feel so disheartened because I put so much time and effort into it and any examiner could read my answer and think I don't know the content just because I was rushing.' AdvertisementDigital, Culture, Media and Sport Secretary Matt Hancock argued that the digital age is one of the hardest times ever

Parents should not let their children use mobile phones in their bedrooms overnight, the Culture Secretary has said.

Matt Hancock argued that the digital age is one of the hardest times ever to be a parent.

He said teachers are worried about children using mobile devices in their bedrooms when they should be asleep.

In my view, of course they shouldnt. But Im not going to legislate to say they mustnt have access to phones overnight, he added.

Mr Hancock recently revealed that he hides his familys mobile phones in a box in his kitchen  and asks guests to do the same.

His children are allowed online only to do their homework.

Last week it emerged that there had been a surge in nursery-school children glued to devices which allow them to broadcast themselves live to anyone, with the content sometimes falling into the hands of paedophiles.

Mr Hancock said: I think its one of the hardest times to be a parent because theres new technology that often children understand better than grown-ups.The boyfriend of a woman who jumped 80 feet to her death after he threatened to send revenge porn to her family may now face manslaughter charges, a court has been told.

Damilya Jossipalenya, 24, killed herself one week after Alessio Bianchi, 26, said he would show her family a porn clip and footage of her taking cocaine.

Westminster coroner's court heard last week that the CPS has asked police if there is enough evidence to investigate Bianchi in connection with Jossipalenya's death.

Damilya Jossipalenya (left), 24, killed herself one week after Alessio Bianchi (right), 26, said he would show her family a porn clip and footage of her taking cocaine

The Sun reported that Det Sgt Emma Kirby, from the Met, explained: 'We have been asked to look into whether there has been a history of domestic abuse that could have deteriorated the deceased's mental state to a point where she might have committed suicide.'

Assistant coroner Dr Shirley Radcliffe adjourned the hearing in London last week until an inquest can be completed this year.

Bianchi's barrister, Steven Powles, said it 'cannot be said that the defendant's actions caused the suicide'.

In April, Bianchi was spared jail after admitting disclosing private sexual photographs and films with intent to cause distress and one count of assault by beating.

The couple had met while studying at Regent's University in London.



A court heard the couple had a turbulent two-year relationship and went for a night out together on June 1 last year and came back to his apartment in Paddington, London, where they started arguing.

Bianchi pushed her out of his apartment in the early hours of the morning and threw her into the water feature outside, leaving her distraught and humiliated.

He claims that any bruises on her body were from his attempts to prevent her from committing suicide by jumping from his eighth floor balcony in the early hours on June 2.

Alessio Bianchi, 26, said he would send the porn clip and footage of Damilya Jossipalenya taking cocaine to her family

But she killed herself the next day - just one week after she received a video on WhatsApp of her performing oral sex at a phone booth in north London, Southwark Crown Court heard.

Describing an earlier incident, Miss Jossipalenya told police he had 'grabbed her by the throat, struck her four or five times, spat on her and that she had passed out for a few seconds.'

Carly Loftus, prosecuting, said: 'A message was sent attached to the recording saying, 'I am going to keep destroying you'.

'The complainant's friend also received the video from three different numbers, one had a message attached, saying 'I will f*** you up next, my love.'

When Bianchi's phone was seized by police they found WhatsApp messages in which he had asked his friend to send the video to Miss Jossipalenya.

She reported the sending of the revenge porn to the police but continued the relationship afterwards.

Miss Jossipalenya told police she did not know she was being recorded in the phone booth.

She explained: 'I found it really insulting and humiliating, I think he's doing this for revenge because of the argument. I am still in shock and feel broken.'

Judge Jeffrey Pegden handed Bianchi a suspended jail sentence but said: 'That video caused her real upset, she was insulted and humiliated by receiving that most personal image of you and her.

'I accept that video was sent out of revenge for something that the complainant had said about you during the relationship.

'As far as the assault, that was a short time later, after the image had been reported to the police, you both had been out for the evening and you returned to your flat.

'There was an altercation when you returned - the events that took place afterwards were the aftermath of that altercation.

'It is right to say that I sentence you in terms of that assault, in pushing, shoving and man-handling outside of that address and that your hand might have been on her neck very briefly and might have left a mark.

'But there was no choking and importantly within the flat you had held her away from the eighth floor balcony and that involved a degree of man-handling.'

Bianchi's defence lawyer, Steven Powles, had claimed he sought vengeance for 'rumours being spread about Mr Bianchi which could present difficulties to him, given the location where his family live.'

A statement from Ms Jossipalenya's family, who are from Kazakhstan, said: 'We cannot describe the pain we feel of losing our beloved Damilya.

'She was such an adorable, wonderful, loving, caring and intelligent girl.

'She loves everyone with all of her heart and tried to see the good in everyone she encountered.

Southwark Crown Court (pictured) heard Miss Jossipalenya killed herself the day after the pair were involved in a huge argument in the early hours of June 2

'We are heartbroken to hear the details of the abuse and torment in which our daughter had to endure because of Mr Bianchi.

'She had a bright future ahead of her and had so many dreams and aspirations to accomplish great things.'

The judge told Bianchi: 'These offences take place in the context of a two year relationship and I entirely accept that that relationship was a deep relationship but one which was sadly volatile.

'Indeed as a young man away from the support and guidance of your family who were abroad, I accept that you struggle to understand and cope with your partner's significant difficulties.

'It is obvious to me that you had the inadequate life skills to deal with the particular psychological difficulties.

'It is obvious to me that you, certainly during the course of your relationship, were very much in love with her, indeed you intended to marry her and you may be viewed as having lost the love of your life.

'You genuinely cared for her and you genuinely grieve for her now and her loss has had a lasting impact on you.'

Bianchi, of Paddington, admitted disclosing private sexual photographs and films with intent to cause distress and one count of assault by beating.

He was sentenced to 12 weeks suspended for 12 months and ordered to carry out a 30 day rehabilitation activity requirement and pay prosecution costs of 250.A USA Today reporter and father-of-two was killed in a DUI hit-and-run crash in Washington, DC.

Oren Dorell, 53, was riding his motorcycle on Friday night when he was struck by a suspected drunk driver who promptly fled the scene.

The foreign affairs and breaking news reporter was later pronounced dead at a hospital, devastating his wife, two sons and the journalism community.

The driver accused of hitting Dorell, Daryl Grant Alexander, 47, has been arrested on charges of second-degree murder, driving under the influence and leaving after colliding.

USA Today reporter Oren Dorell, 53, was killed in a DUI hit-and-run crash in Washington, DC, on Friday evening. The father-of-two is pictured with his wife of 15 years, Virginia 'Ginny' Dorell, and their two sons Malcom, 12, and Leo, 11

Dorell was a journalist for more than two decades, reporting on foreign affairs and breaking news for USA Today for the last 13 years. He is pictured right while on assignment in Iraq

Dorell was riding his motorcycle near the Capitol when he was struck by the drunk driver. He is pictured celebrating Independence Day last summer in Libertyville, Maryland

Dorrell's 2018 Kawasaki Ninja was struck by the Toyota Camry just before 8:30pm on a neighborhood street near the Capitol.

Metropolitan Police are currently investigating the crash.

The 53-year-old was taken to MedStar Hospital where he died, according to his wife Virginia 'Ginny' Dorell. The couple have two sons, Malcom, 12, and Leo, 11.

'He really lived life to the fullest. He really did push himself,' Ginny told USA Today.

'And that I hope to pass on to the kids, that they should go out and experience the world and not be afraid of anything. He wasn't afraid of anything at all.'

Ginny said her husband hoped Leo, left, and Malcolm, right, would inherit his passion for travel

The proud father posted the photo above on Instagram to celebrate Leo's birthday in March

Canadian-born Dorrell, who grew up in Bolivia, Israel and Pennsylvania, opened his own contracting business after graduating from high school in Philadelphia.

A decade later he decided to go into journalism and enrolled at Temple University.

During his two-decade reporting career, including 13 years at USA Today, Dorell traveled the world covering historic events such as the war in Iraq, conflicts in Ukraine, the Arab Spring and Hurricane Katrina.

His wife of 15 years said the adventurous reporter loved his job, and felt like it allowed him to make a difference in the world.

'He enjoyed going to conflict zones,' Ginny said. 'He was in his element there.'

'Stubborn, bull-headed and persistent. He never ever gave up.'

Dorell is pictured with fellow reported James Glanz, right, in Baghdad, Iraq, in August 2007

Dorell was a prized member of the USA Today newsroom, according to his colleagues.

'Oren was a terrific reporter, dogged in his pursuit of accurate stories,' editor Owen Ullmann said.

'He was also a wonderful colleague, husband and father. I can't begin to say how much we will miss him.'

'Oren was a consummate professional with a zest for life and ever-curious mind. A true reporter who could be counted on to provide stellar coverage,' editing colleague Jessica Durando said.

'It is devastating to think that he will no longer be with his USA Today family and loved ones.

'My heart goes out to his wife and children, the people he loved the most.'Father Brown author GK Chesterton could become Englands first Roman Catholic saint since the 17th century

Father Brown author GK Chesterton could become Englands first Roman Catholic saint since the 17th century.

The deeply religious writer, who died in 1936, is said to have answered the prayers of childless Catholic couples asking for miracle babies.

An official report examining the strength of his case for canonisation is published next month, and will rebut claims he held anti-Semitic views and used Jewish tropes in his works.

Canon John Udris, who was asked to compile the report by the Bishop of Northampton in 2013, said there wasnt a racist bone in the writers body.

He told the Daily Telegraph infertile couples singled-out Chesterton to ask for miracle conceptions.

The Bishop will now decide whether to open a cause with the Vatican, which usually requires evidence of at least two posthumous miracles.

The so-called Forty Martyrs, who were executed for treason between 1535 and 1679, were the last English saints to be canonised.The husband and wife in Tennessee that died in a car crash on their way home from their cousin's funeral have been identified.

Cameo Sanders-Jenkins, 38, and Troy Jenkins, 49, who lived in Pegram, a small community of 2,000 people just west of Nashville, were killed at around 6pm on Saturday.

Troy Jenkins was behind the wheel of a 1968 Camaro when police say the car accelerated and struck a rock wall on the side of the road, according to The Tennessean.

The husband and wife in Tennessee who were killed in a single-vehicle car crash on Saturday as they were returning home from their son's funeral have been identified as Cameo Sanders-Jenkins (left), 38, and Troy Jenkins (right), 49

The couple lived in Pegram, a small community of 2,000 people just west of Nashville

Troy Jenkins worked for a property management company while his wife was a broker

They were killed at around 6pm Saturday on Cato Road at Ashland City Highway in Nashville

Investigators believe that the husband lost control of the vehicle and hit a rock wall

Investigators believe that he lost control of the vehicle and hit a rock wall.

Police confirmed that that the couple was driving home following their son's burial.

While the couple was wearing seat belts, the decades-old car only had lap belts, whereas more modern cars have lap belts in addition to shoulder restraints that minimize the chances of death in case of an accident.

The vehicle also was not equipped with airbags.

Police say the car showed no signs of braking. An investigation is ongoing.

The couple was then rushed to Vanderbilt University Medical Center, where they were pronounced dead.

'They were amazing people,' said a relative, 27-year-old Amber Phillips.

'I just cant name one person they did not help in some way.'

Phillips said that two years ago, Greg Sanders, the father of her youngest child was killed in a homicide.

Troy Jenkins was behind the wheel of a 1968 Camaro when police say the car accelerated and struck a rock wall on the side of the road

Sanders was Cameo Sanders' nephew. After his death, Phillips says that Cameo Sanders came to her aid.

'She was there for us, physically and emotionally,' Phillips said.

'She was a mentor, a friend, and she was even my realtor  she helped me buy my home.'

Both husband and wife worked in real estate.

Troy Jenkins worked for a property management company while his wife was a broker.

'She had a spark to her, and nobody pushed her around and nobody ran over her,' said a former colleague, Daniel Miller.

'But she would also help anybody  her family, her friends  she was there for everyone.'An alleged paedophile persuaded a 13-year-old girl to send him dozens of child porn pictures of herself after grooming her online.

The 23-year-old man was today extradited from Sydney to Mackay, Queensland on 46 child exploitation charges.

The man allegedly groomed the girl for four months on social media and exchanged child exploitation material.

The man allegedly groomed the girl for four months on social media and exchanged child exploitation material. He will appear in Mackay Magistrates Court (pictured) tomorrow

He will appear in Mackay Magistrates Court tomorrow.

Police are encouraging parents to be vigilant and have a conversation with their children regarding cyber safety.

'The Queensland Police Service and the Commonwealth Government E-Safety Commissioner have excellent online resources for parent use regarding this issue,' Detective Inspector Smith said.

'As seen by today's efforts, we take offences against children extremely seriously and offenders are sadly mistaken if they believe they can hide behind jurisdictional borders. Child safety is our highest priority.'

The man's full charges are 28 counts of use carriage service to cause child pornography material to be transmitted to self, seven counts of use carriage service to solicit child pornography material, seven counts of use carriage service to transmit indecent communication to a person under the age of 16 years, two counts of engage in sexual activity with a child using a carriage service, one count of use carriage service to transmit, make available, distribute, advertise or promote child pornography; and one count of use carriage service to groom person under age of 16 years.Four New York City police officers' quick thinking saved a baby girls life after as she was not breathing and turning blue.

Caroline Ivanov, 29, was at a Brooklyn restaurant Saturday night when her 15-month-old daughter Chloe began convulsing and having a seizure.

The first-time-mother ran out of the restaurant with her daughter in her arms and saw an NYPD patrol car stopped at a red light. She banged on the window begging for the officers' help.

'This is my first child, my only child, and I'm watching her go lifeless in my arms,' Ivanov told the New York Post. 'Obviously I'm terrified.'

Caroline Ivanov, 29, was at a Brooklyn restaurant when her 15-month-old daughter Chloe began having a seizure Saturday

Officer Daniel Newman, Lt Patrick King and Officer Michael Pace rushed the baby to the hospital while giving her CPR

Officers Michael Pace and Joseph Doyle, both 26, of the 60th Precinct, saw Chloe turning blue and not breathing.

They radioed for an ambulance that was eight minutes away.

Meanwhile, Officers Daniel Newman and his Lieutenant Patrick King heard the radio transmission and dashed over to help.

When they arrived, Newman told the other officers that he is an NYPD certified EMT and saw the baby foaming at the mouth.

Instead of waiting for the ambulance, the officers rushed her straight to Coney Island Hospital with Newman performing CPR in the back seat of the patrol car.

Newman swept the baby's mouth with his finger to clear any debris from her mouth, and then proceeded to administer chest compression as her mother looked on.

'It's scary, but there was no time to think,' said Newman.

'All I could think about was just doing whatever I could do to keep some form of CPR going in the back of the cop car, bringing them to the hospital, she'll have a chance.'

As they pulled up to the hospital, Newman said he felt baby Chloe's heart begin to beat.

The color returned to her face and she began to cry.

The officers brought the infant to the pediatric emergency room where she was treated for a 104.5 degree fever and released.

'They really acted like New York's Finest at that moment,' Ivaniov said. 'If it wasn't for them, I don't know if I would be holding my daughter right now.Footage has emerged of the moment concertgoers ran riot in the streets of inner Brisbane after a music festival was shut down.

The melee erupted after attendee violence at the Triffid in Newstead on Saturday night forced the event to be shut down three hours early.

One person inside the venue had been kicking windows and doors and was removed, before the violence moved outside, Nine News reported.

Violence erupted in inner Brisbane on Saturday night after hundreds of people spilled into the streets when a music festival was shut down

Police were called in after reports a fight had broken out between a group of four males

Vision captured of the violence in the streets by residents nearby shows people stomping on a police car and punching and kicking one another.

Police had been called to the scene after reports a group of four males were fighting outside the venue, with up to 300 people spilling into the streets.

'This was a small group, a small minority who essentially just triggered what would be a mob mentality,' witness Shaun Dale Evans told Nine News.

In a statement provided to Nine News, the owners of the Triffid said they would do everything in their power to ensure a similar situation never arose again.

'The thing that upsets us most about this situation is that a night that was supposed to be about having an amazing experience and celebrating live music was overshadowed by the stupidity of a small group and put our staff and patrons at risk,' the statement said.

No charges have been laid over the incident.Australia's auction clearance rates have plunged to the lowest level in six years.

Buyers in Sydney and Melbourne in particular are becoming more reluctant to bid for a house at auction, following a crackdown on investor loans.

Across Australia, the capital city auction clearance rate sank to 55.3 per cent in the first week of June, a dramatic plunge from 67.8 per cent during the same period in 2017, Core Logic data showed.

Australia's auction clearance rates have plunged to the lowest level in six years

Buyers in Sydney and Melbourne in particular are becoming more reluctant to bid for a house at auction, following a crackdown on investor loans (stock image)

In Melbourne, auction clearance rates plunged from 75.9 per cent to 56.1 per cent in a year compared with Sydney's slide from 67.7 per cent to 57.6 per cent during the same time frame.

Core Logic property research analyst Cameron Kusher said the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority's crackdown on investor loans had caused auction clearance rates to hit the lowest point since 2012.

'Investors have been a strong part of the market in Sydney and Melbourne over the last few years,' he told Daily Mail Australia today.

'You make it more expensive for them to borrow, it's obviously going to have a bit of an impact on demand.'

Capital city auction clearance rate dived to 55.3 per cent in the first week of June, a dramatic plunge from 67.8 per cent during the same period in 2017, Core Logic data showed

Auction clearance rates then and now Sydney 57.6% (June 2018) vs 67.7% (June 2017) Melbourne 56.1% (June 2018) vs 75.9% (June 2017) Brisbane 45.6% (June 2018) v 52.2% (June 2017) Adelaide 65.5% (June 2018) v 68.4% (June 2017) Perth 20% (June 2018) vs 44% (June 2017) Canberra 65.4% (June 2018) v 62.9% (June 2017) Source: Core Logic. Figures for Hobart too small for statistical purposes Advertisement

Surging property prices in recent years, taking Sydney's median house price well over the $1 million mark, have also encouraged potential buyers to renovate rather than move.

'If they're starting to see value fall, maybe they're going, "Well, probably not the best time to sell, let's just stay here for a couple of years, do a renovation and then when the market heats up again in the future, we'll look to move",' he said.

At the weekend, 900 homes in Australia's capital cities sold at auction, down from 1,279 this time last year.

The auction clearance rate of 55.3 per cent was the lowest since 2012, when it had fallen to 54.1 per cent.

The Queen's Birthday long weekend, held in all states except Queensland and Western Australia, is traditionally a quieter weekend for auctions, with 2,281 homes sold in the big cities last week.

In Perth, auction clearance rates plummeted from an already low 44 per cent in June 2017 to just 20 per cent in June this year, with a five-bedroom mansion in the wealthy suburb of Iluka selling for $1.2 million.

Clearance rates in Sydney's ritzy eastern suburbs's 70.5 per cent, where a three-bedroom terrace at Double Bay sold for $4.45 million at auction

Wealthier suburbs of Sydney and Melbourne, however, continued to have auction clearance rates well above the average.

Clearance rates on Sydney's North Shore stood at 73.3 per cent compared with the ritzy eastern suburbs's 70.5 per cent, where a three-bedroom terrace at Double Bay sold for $4.45 million at auction.

In Melbourne's inner south, which includes Toorak, auction clearance rates were 71.4 per cent.A desperate renter has filmed the moment he confronted his landlord about changing the locks - after he came home to find most of his belongings dumped in the garage in garbage bags.

The Perth man had been given two weeks' notice to move out the day before, only to return to find he had already been kicked out.

When he questioned his landlord, the man is seen laughing maniacally before declaring he had 'changed his mind'.

The Perth man had been given two weeks' notice to move out the day before, only to return to find he had already been kicked out

'I don't want you to stay here, it is my property. I changed my mind, so what?' the landlord says.

The renter, who is not identified in the footage, is denied entry into the home to collect the rest of his belongings.

'This is disrespectful, some of my stuff is sentimental. Can I at least go and get my other stuff from the laundry?' he asked.

The landlord refused. And when the renter explained he had 'nowhere to stay the night' he was told 'that's not my problem'.

The video was posted online by the renter's brother who asked for advice.

'He has rent paid until the 16th and a two week bond. What can he do about it?' the brother asked.

People were quick to comment.

'Call the cops, it's against the law that he doesn't give you two weeks notice,' one person said.

'He is wrong - there are ways to go about eviction, this is not one of them. I hope he gets in a lot of trouble for what he has done,' another person said.

The man's belongings were stacked in garbage bags when he returned home the day after he was given two weeks notice

Others weren't shocked by the events.

'It's a nightmare, someone close to me gave notice because the landlord kept going in house while they were out... so the next day they put all their gear on the verge next to the main road in pouring rain.

'This included new computer etc. Legally the landlord was in the wrong as this one is, but when your belongings are by side of road getting wet and you have nowhere to go being legally right doesn't help.'

The night before the forced eviction took place the man had his girlfriend at the house.

The landlord told them she had to be out by midnight, and when she left he gave the tenant the two weeks notice.Advertisement

First Lady Melania Trump stepped out solo Sunday night to attend an annual gala in Washington DC as her husband landed in Singapore ahead of the highly-anticipated meeting with Kim Jong-un.

Melania, who wore a black $2,700 Escada gown, was Honorary Chair for the annual gala paying tribute to former President Abraham Lincoln at Ford's Theatre. She delivered remarks on stage at the end of the program.

This appearance is one of Melania's first since being away from the public eye for 25 days while she recovered from kidney surgery.

She made her first public appearance last week at a Gold Star event.

The First Lady attended an annual gala at Ford's Theatre in Washington DC Sunday night. She is pictured delivering remarks at the end of the night

Melania was Honorary Chair for Sunday night's the gala in tribute to former President Abraham Lincoln

This is one of her first appearances since her 25-day hiatus from the public spotlight following kidney surgery. She is pictured at the reception with Sheila Johnson, recipient of the Lincoln Medal

Melania made her second public appearance since her kidney surgery Wednesday afternoon when she joined the president at a briefing on hurricane preparedness at FEMA.

The First Lady delivered remarks at the end of Sunday night's program, thanking Ford's Theatre and the performers for a wonderful evening.

She also congratulated the recipients of this year's Lincoln Medal  an annual award given to people who have exemplified the legacy of President Lincoln through their achievements and bodies of work.

One of this year's recipients is businesswoman Sheila Johnson, co-founder of BET and CEO of Salamander Hotels and Resorts.

'I was honored to be part of such a special evening,' said First Lady Melania Trump.

'Tonight reminds all of us about the power the arts have in cultivating the American voice. Thank you to Ford's Theatre Society for tonight, and your continued dedication to education and leadership in the artsthe impact they have on society is invaluable and something we will continue to cherish throughout time.'

Friday, President Donald Trump revealed his wife underwent a four-hour operation and she is prohibited from flying for a month.

'Can't fly for one month, the doctors say,' he said.

'She wanted to go,' Trump said. 'She had a big operation, that was close to a four-hour operation. And she's doing great,' Trump said.

He added that the First Lady is 'doing great.'

The President and First Lady are pictured at last year's gala together, but he is in Singapore to meet with Kim Jong-un this year

Melania made her second public appearance since her kidney surgery Wednesday afternoon when she joined the president at a briefing on hurricane preparedness at FEMA

Melania Trump at the Gold Star event at White House last week in her first public appearance in 25 days

That assessment Trump gave of Melania's condition appeared more serious than what the White House had previously said - that she had undergone a 'procedure'.

The procedure, an embolization, commonly takes up to three hours, suggesting that the one performed on the First Lady was more complicated than the average.

She was also unable to fly with her husband to Canada for the G7 summit this weekend.

After trying to smooth over tensions with the six other leaders at the summit in Canada, Trump spoke optimistically about his looming meeting and said he believed it would go well.

'I will be on a mission of peace and will carry in my heart the hearts of millions of people, all over the world,' he said.

The president arrived in Singapore Sunday evening and met with Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.

Trump and his delegation had working lunch with Singapore's Prime Minister and officials at the Istana ahead of the June 12 meeting with the North Korean leader.



President Donald Trump and Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong shake hands during a meeting at the Istana in Singapore June 11, 2018.

Trump and his delegation have lunch with Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and officials at the Istana in Singapore

The First Lady delivered remarks at the end of the Sunday night's performances thanking Ford's Theatre and the performers for a wonderful eveningA man has publicly identified himself as the comedian who accused prominent ABC personality Tom Ballard of indecent assault - which Ballard vehemently denies.

JooYung Roberts posted allegations online on Saturday about a hotel room encounter with Ballard four years ago.

In a statement, Ballard denied Mr Roberts's claims in the 'strongest terms possible', writing that he had a 'consensual sexual experience with someone'.

Mr Roberts unmasked himself in a Twitter post on Monday where he wrote: 'I am Tom Ballard's accuser.

Tom Ballard (pictured) has denied allegations of indecent assault aired at the weekend

'I am Tom Ballard's accuser': JooYung Roberts, pictured in a supplied photograph

'I understand that it can be difficult to know what to make of allegations when they come from an anonymous source... I am not afraid to be identified.'

Mr Roberts gave permission for his name to be printed and supplied a photo when approached for comment by Daily Mail Australia.

Ballard, who presents the ABC's Tonightly program, has vehemently denied the claim.

Daily Mail Australia does not suggest the allegations are true, simply that they have been made.

In a blog post on his own website Ballard said 'I have not done anything wrong'.

'Over the past six months I have become aware of a claim being made about me,' Ballard wrote.

'It involves an allegation of sexual assault: an allegation that I completely deny in the strongest terms possible.

'It fundamentally goes against who I am as a person and everything I believe in. Today (Saturday) that claim was aired publicly.'

'Four years ago I had a consensual sexual experience with someone.

'I had absolutely no idea he believed it wasn't consensual until six months ago.

'His version of that experience as described on social media is simply not what happened.'

In a blog post on his website Ballard (pictured) said 'I have not done anything wrong'

Ballard said 'I abhor sexual assault and sexual violence' and added 'I absolutely support the philosophy of the #MeToo movement'.

Mr Roberts claimed the alleged incident occurred after a gig and recalled David Letterman's late night program was on the television at the time.

Mr Roberts was 20 at the time of his alleged incident, in June 2014.

He went to police with his claims but Ballard 'hadn't gone outside of the confines of the law'.

An ABC spokesman said it was 'aware' of the claim made against Ballard and that he had 'denied this claim in the strongest terms possible'.A Florida man who was filmed while being beaten and tasered by police after causing a scene at a Wendy's restaurant has made his first appearance in court.

Joaquin Labaut, 35, faced a judge Friday in Miami-Dade County.

He was taken into custody and charged with aggravated battery on a law enforcement officer, disorderly conduct and resisting arrest on Wednesday.

A bystander at the Wendy's in Cutler Bay, Florida, captured dramatic footage of Labaut's interaction with Miami-Dade police prior to his arrest.

In the beginning of the nearly four minute-long video, two police officers can be seen calmly speaking with a clearly agitated Labaut, who shouts that the shouldn't touch him.

One of the officers shows Labaut what appears to be a stun gun and says, 'You've felt this one time before, right? I need you to put your arms behind your back.' When he refuses to comply, the other officer tells him to get down on the floor.

A Florida man who was filmed while being beaten and tasered by police after causing a scene at a Wendy's restaurant has made his first appearance in court

Joaquin Labaut, 35, faced a judge Friday in Miami-Dade County

Labaut was caught on camera being beaten and tasered by police as he resisted arrest at a Florida Wendy's

Both officers can then be seen firing their stun guns at Labaut, who, seemingly unaffected by the voltage, then runs around the Wendy's counter and into the food prep area.

As the officers continue to try to subdue Labaut, backing him into a corner and tasering him and telling him to 'get on the floor,' which he refuses to do, a third officer comes into view, waving a collapsible baton in the air and shouting, 'Get on the f**king ground now!'

In the dramatic video, Miami-Dade police officers are seen trying to calmly apprehend Labaut. When he refuses to put his hands behind his back, the officers show him their stun guns

Labaut can then be seen being tasered by police officers, before running behind the Wendy's counter and into the food prep area, where he is then shouted at and beaten with a baton

The third officer can then be seen striking Labaut's leg with the baton multiple times, screaming, 'Get on the ground' with each hit.

After multiple rounds of beatings and tasering, Labaut bum-rushes the officers and heads for the the exit, only to trip over a table and fall to the floor.

Two more officers join in and together, they manage to bring Labaut down and restrain the 6-foot-3-inch, 240-pound Labaut.

Police had been called to the scene because Labaut was reportedly talking loudly to himself, pacing around customers, harassing employees, swearing and flailing his arms, according to CBS Miami.

According to Labaut's booking information, he was free on a felony bond from a previous incident in 2017 and was already facing similar charges to those lobbed against him Wednesday.

The incident occurred at this Wendy's in Cutler Bay, Florida, on Wednesday

Labaut's bond was set at $13,000, though he told the judge that he didn't have any amount of money, according to WSVN-TV.

The judge ordered him to stay away from the Wendy's location.CNN has paid homage to its star Anthony Bourdain in a tribute show following the celebrity chef's suicide on Friday.

The tribute show aired on Sunday night after a new episode of Bourdain's show Parts Unknown, and tracked his rise through footage from past shows and interviews with CNN colleagues.

In one surprising moment, CNN anchor Jake Tapper revealed that Barack Obama's appearance on the show was at the request of the then-President himself.

'It was the Obama White House who reached out to CNN, and I put them in touch with Bourdain,' said Tapper. 'That's who Anthony Bourdain was: Obama wanted to go have food with him not the other way around.'

The late Anthony Bourdain posted this snapshot of himself, sitting down for bun cha in a restaurant in Vietnam, with then-President Obama in 2016

Anderson Cooper was on the verge of tears as he discussed how Bourdain had inspired him

In another interview, anchor Anderson Cooper was on the verge of tears as he discussed how Bourdain had inspired him.

I just turned 51, and I remember thinking: "Wow if I could age like he is aging." He was 61, and he was getting tattoos, doing jujitsu and he was just, he actually...' Cooper said, trailing off to compose himself.

'I was actually thinking about this two months ago, I was thinking about how he gave me hope for what one's life could become at 61.'

In other footage originally shot for an episode of his show that aired in 2015, Bourdain got painfully honest with a group of recovering addicts in Massachusetts.

'I'll tell you something really shameful about myself. The first time I shot up, I looked at myself in the mirror with a big grin,' Bourdain told the group.

'You know, something was missing in me, whether it was a self- image situation, whether it was a character flaw. I came from a stable family, the suburbs, you know, I had a lot of advantages. There was some dark genie inside me that I very much hesitate to call a disease, that led me to dope.'

Footage (above) of Bourdain's conversation with a group of recovering addicts in Massachusetts, originally shot for a 2015 episode of Parts Unknown, ran again in a CNN tribute

He continued: 'You know, I didn't have anyone else who could have talked me out of what I was doing, but intervention wouldn't have worked. I didn't have a child. I have a 7-year-old daughter now, who I never would have had. I never would have thought. I looked in a mirror and I saw somebody worth saving or that I wanted to at least try real hard and save.

'You know, anybody can find them self very easily in this situation, and, you know, I look back on that and I think about, you know, I think about what I'll tell my daughter, you know.

'You know, that was daddy. Ain't no doubt about it, but I hope that I'll be able to say that was daddy then, this is daddy now, that I'm alive and living in hope.'

Meanwhile, a chilling passage from Bourdain's 2011 book Medium Raw has also resurfaced, in which he wrote that he was 'regularly suicidal' after he separated from his first wife.

After his first marriage to wife Nancy Putkoski ended in 2005, Bourdain recalled that he was 'aimless and regularly suicidal'.

During a particular stint in the Caribbean, he wrote of getting 'the kind of drunk where you've got to put a hand over one eye to see straight' and would 'peel out' in his 4x4 for nightly trips to the brothels.

Anthony Bourdain, pictured on June 4, hanged himself on Friday in his hotel room in Kaysersberg, France

Bourdain said his state of mind improved when he met a woman in London soon after.

He said that's when his 'nightly attempts at suicide ended'.

Bourdain had also previously been open about his past struggles with drugs and spoke of being a recovering heroin addict.

The chef married his second wife, MMA fighter Ottavia Busia - the mother of his only child - in 2007 but they split in 2016.

He met his actress girlfriend Asia Argento when they shot an episode of his show Parts Unknown shortly after breaking things off with his wife Busia.

Argento and Bourdain were seen together apparently happy as recently as two weeks ago prior to his shock suicide.

Bourdain was found dead on Friday in his hotel room in Kaysersberg, France after hanging himself.

After his first marriage to wife Nancy Putkoski (left) ended in 2005, Bourdain recalled that he was 'aimless and regularly suicidal'. He married his second wife Ottavia Busia (right) in 2007 but they split in 2016

He met his actress girlfriend Asia Argento when they shot an episode of his show Parts Unknown shortly after breaking things off with Busia. Argento and Bourdain (above in September 2017) were seen together apparently happy as recently as two weeks ago prior to his shock suicide

His chef friend Eric Ripert, who was the one to find Bourdain in the bathroom, knew something was wrong when he didn't show up for their planned dinner.

Bourdain had been in the area filming an episode with his CNN crew for a segment on Alsatian food.

Usually, the 61-year-old would eat breakfast and dinner at the hotel's pub, the Winstub, with Ripert, the executive chef at Manhattan's Le Bernadin.

'We thought it was strange,' waiter Maxime Voinson told The New York Times on Saturday. 'Mr Ripert thought it was strange.'

On Friday morning, Bourdain again did not show up for breakfast.

His chef friend Eric Ripert, who was the one to find Bourdain in the bathroom, knew something was wrong when he didn't show up for their planned dinner

'His friend was waiting at breakfast,' the waiter told the Times. 'And waiting and waiting.'

Meanwhile, the TV star's camera crew had set up to film at an outdoor market in nearby Strasbourg.

Ripert reportedly had a hotel receptionist unlock the hotel room door. Inside, he found that Bourdain had hung himself in his bathroom.

Bourdain's mother, Gladys, 83, told The Times on Saturday that she was shocked by the news of her son's death.

'It's really too difficult,' she said.

'He was an incredible guy. I really can't talk about him... He was brilliant and sharp and funny. He is the last person in the world I'd imagine to do something like that.'

However, according to the Times, Ripert told Gladys that her son had been 'in a dark mood these last couples of days'.

For confidential support in the US call the National Suicide Prevention Line on 1-800-273-8255

For confidential support in the UK call the Samaritans on 116123 or visit a local Samaritans branch, see www.samaritans.org for details.The middle school science teacher, who was credited with stopping a 13-year-old boy from killing any of his classmates during a shooting at an Indianapolis school, was in court to watch as the teen was read a list of the charges against him.

The 13-year-old boy who was accused of shooting up a classroom at Noblesville West Middle School in Noblesville, Indiana, on May 25, showed no emotion and said little on Monday as a juvenile court judge read the attempted murder and other charges he faces.

The boy, who has not been named, wore an orange and white jail uniform as he sat between his parents during a hearing that lasted about 15 minutes.

He answered 'Yes, your honor' and 'No, your honor' to questions from the judge.

Noblesville West Middle School teacher Jason Seaman (in khakis) heading to an Indiana courtroom to attend the initial hearing for the 13-year-old accused school shooter Monday

The 11 charges against him include two counts of attempted murder for the wounding of a seventh-grade classmate, Ella Whistler, 13, and science teacher Jason Seaman, who authorities say saved lives by tackling the shooter to end the May 25 attack at Noblesville West Middle School.

Other charges include aggravated battery, battery with a deadly weapon and possession of a firearm on school property.

The Associated Press has not identified the boy because he is charged as a juvenile.

Defense attorney Ben Jaffe told the judge that the boy wouldn't be talking about the allegations during Monday's hearing. Hamilton County Magistrate Todd Ruetz entered a denial of the charges, the equivalent of a not-guilty plea.

The boy's parents gave similar short answers to the judge during the hearing and avoided reporters as they left the courthouse.

Seaman, 29, attended the hearing but also left without speaking with reporters.

Seaman tackled the 13-year-old, who had walked into his classroom at Noblesville West Middle School, and opened fire on May 25, thus preventing the boy from killing any of his students.

Ella Whistler, 13, was wounded multiple times during the school shooting in late May

Teacher Jason Seaman was credited with preventing the shooter from killing students. Days later, Seaman (pictured left with a student) was the guest of honor at a baseball game

Seaman was shot in the hip, abdomen and arm, before tackling the shooter to the ground

Noblesville West Middle School student Kylie Cook leave court after attending the hearing for the accused school shooter Monday. Cook is friends with wounded student Ella Whistler

The 13-year-old accused shooter is said to have entered a middle school science classroom on May 25 and opened fire into it, wounding the teacher and a classmate

Seaman was shot three times in the tussle - in the hip, abdomen and arm - but was back on his feet within days.

Whistler, who was not in attendance, was shot multiple times when the shooter stormed into the class and rushed to the hospital in critical condition.

A friend of 13-year-old Whistler said she wishes the accused shooter could face criminal charges in adult court.

'He made an adult decision,' 12-year-old Kylie Cook said after Monday's hearing. 'You don't make a threat to bring a gun to school. You don't think it's OK to shoot someone and act like you're going to kill them.'

Under state law, the boy can't face adult charges because of his age. Prosecutors say children of 13 can only be waived to adult court if they are facing murder charges.

Whistler's family said last week that she remained hospitalized and faces a lengthy recovery after being shot seven times, including in her face, neck and upper chest. She suffered collapsed lungs, significant nerve damage and several broken bones.

Cook wasn't near the classroom where the shooting happened, but said she worried the accused shooter would say he didn't mean to shoot anyone.

She said the boy's courtroom behavior was different from what she knows of him as an acquaintance.

'He's never that formal,' she said. 'He's always more of a joking-around kid, never actually like means what he's saying, and always just runs around and acts crazy with his friends. Seeing him that formal, and saying 'Yes, sir. No, sir. Yes, your honor,' it was just weird.'

The boy, who prosecutors say was armed with two handguns and a knife, is next scheduled to appear in court on June 25. But his attorney said he's not yet seen evidence from prosecutors and might ask for a delay.

'A case like this, complex, with as much going on, it is unrealistic to be at a trial stage, or at a stage of disposition, within three weeks or so,' Jaffe told WTHR-TV after the hearing.

If the boy is found guilty in the Noblesville shooting case, he could be ordered held at a state detention center for juveniles until he's 21, although typically juveniles are released when they turn 18, said Larry Landis, executive director of the Indiana Public Defender Council. The boy could also be ordered to spend time in a mental health treatment center.

The boy is next due in court for a fact-finding hearing on June 25.A Michigan man was sentenced on Monday to a minimum of 40 years in prison for plowing into and killing five bicyclists while high on drugs after a judge lambasted his tearful apology.

Nine people out on a recreational ride were members of a group called the 'Chain Gang.' They were hit on a two-lane rural road in southwestern Michigan's Cooper Township on June 7, 2016.

'I wish this tragedy had never happened,' Charles Pickett Jr, 52, said at his sentencing, crying. 'There's nothing I can do to ever take it back. I'll live with this the rest of my life. I would give my life for the people that got murdered or killed and maimed and everything else. I just want to say I'm sorry. That's it.'

Scroll down for video

Mea culpa: Charles Pickett Jr, 52, broke down in tears at his sentencing in Michigan on Monday while apologizing for running over and killing five bicyclists

The presiding judge said of Pickett's courtroom apology that it was 'woefully inadequate'

Melissa Fevig-Hughes (left), 42, and Suzanne Sippel (right), 56, both from Augusta, were among the five people killed in the crash

Fatalities (l to r): Lorenz Paulik, 74, Fred Nelson, 73, both from Kalamazoo, and Debra Bradley, 53, from Augusta, also died after the crash on Tuesday

Prosecutors said Pickett was high on methamphetamine and painkillers when he rammed his blue pickup truck (pictured) into a group of cyclists in June 2016

All that remains: In this June 9, 2016, photo, victims' mangled bicycles are tagged as evidence at the Michigan State Police crime lab in Kalamazoo

But Judge Paul Bridenstine called his apology 'woefully inadequate.' He told Pickett that he had many opportunities to stop driving before the deadly crash.

'You selfishly and unnecessarily murdered five people and altered the lives of four others,' Bridenstine said before handing down the sentence, according to Mlive.com.

A woman who was with Pickett earlier that day told jurors during his trial that he had attended a cousin's funeral and swallowed a handful of drugs after getting into an argument.

A police detective testified that Pickett had been taking methamphetamine for two years as a daily user leading up to the crash.

Blood tests subsequently showed that Pickett had methamphetamine, muscle relaxers and pain medication in his system at the time of the crash.

Debra Bradley, 53, Melissa Fevig-Hughes, 42, Suzanne Sippel, 56, all from Augusta, and Fred Nelson, 73, and Lorenz Paulik, 74, both from Kalamazoo, died at the scene.

Four others cyclists between the ages of 40 and 65 suffered injuries in the crash.

Guilty: Pickett was convicted in May (pictured in court) of five counts of second-degree murder and five counts of DUI causing death

Bearing witness: Friends and family of Debra Bradley, one of the cyclists killed by Pickett Jr, listen as the guilty verdict is read at the Kalamazoo County Courthouse on May 1

The National Transportation Safety Board said better communication between dispatchers might have alerted police to stop Pickett he was driving erratically through different communities before the crash.

Pickett was convicted in May of five counts of second-degree murder and five counts of DUI causing death.

On Monday, Judge Bridenstine sentenced Pickett to 35 to 55 years for each of five counts of murder, to be served concurrently, and 8 to 15 years for each count of operating while under the influence causing death.

Pickett was also sentenced to 3 to 5 years on each of four counts of operating while intoxicated causing serious injury, to be served concurrently.

When give a chance to speak, Debra Bradley's daughter, Madeline, talked about feeling 'broken' after losing her mother, while crash survivor Jennifer Johnson demanded of Pickett: 'Where is your remorse? Where is your suffering?'The U.S. has offered North Korea 'unique' security guarantees to persuade it to give up its nuclear arsenal, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Monday, on the eve of a historic summit in Singapore.

But President Donald Trump's team is still insisting on 'complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearization' from the Kim Jong-un regime before sanctions are dropped.

'The president's made very clear: Until such time as we get the outcome that were demanding, economic relief is not going to be provided,' Pompeo told reporters in a brief press conference.

He said Trump is 'prepared to take what will be security assurances that are different,  unique  than have been provided, than America has been willing to provide previously. We think that's necessary and appropriate.'

But 'the ultimate objective we seek from diplomacy with North Korea has not changed.'

'Until such time as we get the outcome that were demanding, economic relief is not going to be provided,' Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in Singapore, speaking of U.S. depands that North Korea dismantle its nuclear wepons program

The Trump-Kim meeting will be the first ever between a serving U.S. president and a North Korean leader

'Sanctions will remain until North Korea completely and verifiably eliminates is weapons of mass destruction programs,' Pompeo added. 'If diplomacy does not move in the right direction ... those measures will increase.'

The White House said preparatory negotiations had 'moved more quickly than expected' and Trump would leave Tuesday evening after his talks with Kim, seemingly ruling out the possibility the unprecedented tete-a-tete would continue into a second day.

The meeting, long sought by Pyongyang, will be the first ever between a serving U.S. president and a North Korean leader, and will focus on the nuclear bombs and ballistic missiles the North has spent decades developing.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un reviewed an honor guard before departing Pyongyang for Singapore

He refused to go into details. But the North has long sought an end to the U.S. military presence in the South, where Washington has around 28,000 troops stationed to protect it from its neighbor.

Pompeo said the Trump administration was looking for a way 'to provide them sufficient certainty that they can be comfortable that denuclearization is not something that ends badly for them.'

Pyongyang has demanded the end of what it calls a 'hostile policy' towards it, but in public has only pledged to pursue the denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula  a euphemism open to wide differences of interpretation.

Washington is eager to see if the North's pledges were 'sincere,' Pompeo said, adding: 'The United States has been fooled before.'

Verification would be key, he went on, saying many deals had been signed before only to find 'the North Koreans did not promise what they said.'

The North, which has been subjected to increasingly strict sanctions by the UN Security Council and others, has made promises of change in the past, such as at the lengthy Six Party Talks process, only for the agreements to collapse later.

Trump and Kim will first meet one-on-one in a closed session, before a larger meeting with key advisers, the White House said.

The wider session will include National Security Advisor John Bolton, who nearly derailed the summit with hawkish comments about disarming North Korea.

North Korean security personnel keep watch outside the St. Regis hotel, where Kim Jong Un is staying for the Singapore summit

Pompeo also signalled there would be more discussions to come, adding that Tuesday's meeting 'will set the framework for the hard work that will follow. We will see how far we get.'

In Seoul, President Moon Jae-in had a 40-minute phone call with Trump, after telling key aides that it could take 'one year, two years or even longer to completely resolve the issues concerned.'

Tuesday's summit is an extraordinary turnaround from last year, when Trump threatened the North with 'fire and fury' and Kim dubbed him a 'mentally deranged U.S. dotard,' sending fears of conflict soaring.

The summit has also raised hopes of progress towards a peace treaty to formally end the Korean War, the last festering legacy of the Cold War, after hostilities only stopped with an armistice.

Supporters of President Donald Trump stand outside the Singapore prime minister's official residence

But critics have warned it risks becoming more of a media circus than an occasion for substantial progress.

The U.S. leader has whipsawed on expectations for the meeting, signalling that it could be the beginning of a 'process' of several meetings, only to call it a 'one-time shot' for peace as he embarked for Singapore and saying he would know 'within the first minute' whether an agreement would be possible.

'I just think it's going to work out very nicely,' said Trump at a working lunch with the prime minister of Singapore, Lee Hsien-Loong.

The previous U.S. stance, said Bruce Klingner of the Heritage Foundation, was that 'we don't deploy a president to negotiate a treaty, we deploy a president to sign a treaty where we know where every piece of punctuation is on that piece of paper.'

'One of my worries is that we come out of this Singapore summit with something that looks remarkably like the Six Party Talks or anything that the president has previously criticised but it is hyped as something that's historic and new and groundbreaking,' he said.

The North's official KCNA news agency called the summit 'historic,' saying it would take place in a 'changed era' and 'under the great attention and expectation of the whole world.'

Kim would exchange 'wide-ranging and profound views' on issues including 'building a permanent and durable peace-keeping mechanism on the Korean peninsula' and 'realising the denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula,' it added.

It formally referred to Trump by his full name in the Monday report, including his middle initial -- the first time it has done so.

Kim's sister and close aide Kim Yo Jong is also in Singapore, and is believed to have travelled separately on the ageing Soviet-made Ilyushin-62 that is the leader's personal aircraft.Robert DeNiro yelled 'f*** Trump' during a foul-mouthed rant at the Tony Awards and got a standing ovation.

The audience went wild, some rising to their feet. DeNiro pumped his fists triumphantly.

The outburst was bleeped, so Broadway fans watching at home didn't hear the expletive.

Robert DeNiro, 74, walked onto the stage at the Tony Awards and said 'F*** Trump'

The CBS cameras panned the audience after DeNiro's declaration, and he got a standing ovation

And when the applause died down, the 74 year-old actor started talking again, 'its no longer 'down with Trump,' its f*** Trump. '

He got a full standing ovation, and then said, 'now I'll get to my presentation.'

While audiences at home tried to figure out what he had said, reporters backstage filled in the creators of "Angels in America" on the De Niro moment. Tony Kushner repeated De Niro's sharp rebuff of the president. And he said of the actor, "it's Robert De Niro. Who's gonna argue with him?"

A defiant DeNiro pumped his fists as the audience cheered his anti-Trump declaration on Sunday

As the applause for his first 'F*** Trump' died down, he said it again, 'its no longer 'down with trump, its f*** trump'

And while many watching on television were still trying to figure out what got bleeped, some people on Twitter started talking about it. Actor Director Ken Olin said 'well if Robert DeNiro said it, it must be true!'

MSNBC host Joy Reid posted her thoughts on Trump's relationship with his hometown, 'Robert DeNiros Trump F-bomb at the Tony Awards is Trumps relationship with New York City in a nutshell. Hes always a part of it, omnipresent, even, but only in the worst way.'

And comedian Dennis Miller, harkened back to an early, iconic DeNiro role, Travis Bickle in Taxi Driver, 'Ironically when I hear Robert DeNiro talking about politics, my first instinct is to look over my shoulder and say 'You talkin' to me?''

Celebrities, like actor/director Ken Olin tweeted in support of DeNiro and his Tony declaration

MSNBC host Joy Reid gave a more thoughtful reaction to DeNiro's outburst. Talking about New Yorkers' love/hate relationship with the president.

DeNiro has never been a fan of Trump, and he's not afraid to share his thoughts. He compared the then New York real estate developer to a used care salesman in 2011.

A month before the 2016 election, in a campaign video he said of the republican candidate, 'he says he'd like to punch someone in the face, I'd like to punch HIM in the face.' He was also one of the celebrities at Trump Tower on the even of the innauguration speaking out against the president.

Just last month the Goodfellas star said that he would ban President Trump from all of his Nobu restaurants. At the opening of Nobu Marbella, he said 'I don't care what he likes. If he walked into a restaurant I was in - I'd walk out.'

Comedian Dennis Miller had some fun with an old character of DeNiro's, Travis Bickle in the movie Taxi DriverPolice are investigating the disappearance of a Sydney woman and have 'grave concerns' for her safety.

Officers are re-appealing for public assistance, with homicide squad detectives now aiding with the investigation.

Campsie woman Qi Yu, 28, contacted her family in China for the last time about 7.15pm on Friday 8 June.

28-year-old Qi Yu last spoke to her family in China on Friday 7.30pm, hasn't been seen since

Since then she hasn't been heard from and her family are quite concerned for her welfare.

'Officers from Campsie Police Area Command launched an investigation to locate the woman and are appealing for the communitys help,' NSW Police said in a statement.

About 24 hours from the contact with her family police found Qi's car.

They located the 2016 model Toyota Corolla with NSW registration plates DLK-13P on Lindsay Street, Burwood Saturday night around 8.30pm.

The 2016 model Toyota Corolla was located on Lindsay Street in Burwood on Saturday night

Police are asking anyone that has any information on the whereabouts of Qi to contact Crime Stoppers immediately, either by calling 1800 333 000 or using the Crime Stoppers online reporting page.

'Anyone that saw her vehicle between the hours of 7pm Friday (8 June 2018) and 8.30pm Saturday (9 June 2018) is urged to come forward,' Police said.A driver says they are lucky to have not been seriously injured after a hammer was thrown through their car window during an unprovoked road rage attack.

Michael Miteff spoke to 3AW Radio about the moment a stranger decided to throw a hammer through the window of his car as he sat at the intersection of High Street Road and Springvale Road in Glen Waverley, Melbourne.

'It was quite terrifying, I was absolutely frightened, I did view a car a kilometre or so back going through some red lights, and I thought, how silly a person are you,' he said.

Michael Miteff spoke about the moment a stranger decided to throw a hammer through the window of his car which narrowly missed his head

He said he saw the car indicating to turn right and was three lanes over from his own blue car and then out of nowhere a huge shattering bang and 'shards of glass everywhere'.

A hammer had been thrown through the rear window behind the driver's seat.

'Had it been a few centimetres forward it would have been my head, had I been carrying a child in a restraint it could have been them,' he said.

Mr Miteff wasn't able to get a good look which car the hammer came from but he did say he believed it was a blue sedan 'maybe a Ford of Mazda'.Advertisement

A graffiti-covered house with collapsing walls, a missing roof and overgrown with weeds has sold for more than the price of stately mansions near the water.

The three-bedroom home at Enmore in Sydney's trendy inner-west sold at auction on Saturday for $1.255million, which was even steeper than the city's median house price of $1.15million.

The abandoned abode on Juliett Street was so run down selling agent McGath had dubbed it 'Angkor Wat' and admitted it was 'utterly derelict, falling down and exposed to the elements'.

A house with collapsing walls covered in graffiti and weeds has sold for more than the price of stately mansions near the water

The three-bedroom home at Enmore in Sydney's trendy inner-west sold on Saturday for $1.255million, which was even steeper than the city's median house price of $1.15million

The abandoned abode on Juliett Street was so run down selling agent McGath had dubbed it 'Angkor Wat' and admitted it was 'utterly derelict, falling down and exposed to the elements'

Despite its compact jungle setting resembling Buddhist temples in Cambodia, the small, 228 square metre house on 'Enmore's best street' still commanded a higher price from a cashed-up buyer than large, mansions near the water in Perth, Hobart and Adelaide.

In Australia's real estate market, being within a walking distance to 'cool cafes' in Sydney's gentrified Marrickville area is a privilege even more elite than being near the beach in an affluent suburb of Perth.

For $55,000 less than a rundown house in Enmore, a buyer in Western Australia snapped up at auction a five-bedroom, three-bathroom house at Iluka for $1.2 million.

In another Perth suburb, a six-bedroom, three-bathroom house at Dianella sold for $1.125million, which less than Sydney's median house price.

The small, 228 square metre house on 'Enmore's best street' still commanded a higher price from a cashed-up buyer than large, mansions near the water in Perth, including at Iluka (pictured)

For $55,000 less than a rundown house at Enmore in Sydney's inner west, a buyer in Perth's northern suburbs snapped up at auction a five-bedroom, three-bathroom house at Iluka for $1.2 million

In another Perth suburb, a six-bedroom, three-bathroom house at Dianella sold for $1.125million, which less than Sydney's median house price

For a similar amount of money in Hobart, a seven-bedroom, six-bathroom manor house in the wealthy suburb of Sandy Bay, a short stroll to the Derwent River and the Wrest Point Casino, sold for $1.1million.

A smaller, four-bedroom house two kilometres away in the same area sold for $1.005million last week.

This is also in a city which is defying the slowdown in Australia's property market, with prices in Hobart climbing by 3.7 per cent in the three months to the end of May.

In Adelaide, it is possible to live in a big house near the beach for less than $1million with a four-bedroom, two-bathroom house at Glenelg South selling for $980,000.

For a similar amount of money in Hobart, a seven-bedroom, six-bathroom manor house in the wealthy suburb of Sandy Bay, a very short stroll to the Derwent River, sold for $1.1million

A smaller, four-bedroom house a kilometre away in the same suburb of Sandy Bay in Hobart sold for $1.005 million last week

While auction clearance rates across Australia's capital cities have slowed down to a six-year low of 55.3 per cent, affluent areas of Sydney are continuing to hold up with the city's inner-west, which includes Enmore, delivering a 71.4 per cent clearance rate.

Core Logic real estate analyst Cameron Kusher said the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority's crackdown on investor loans was having more of an effect on smaller, inner-city terraces than larger mansions.

'They tend not to buy obviously big houses,' he told Daily Mail Australia today.

'They buy a lot of inner-city cottages and that kind of thing.'

While the $1.255 selling price for the derelict house at Enmore in Sydney's inner-west was steep, it was still less than the original $1.3million asking price from the previous owner.

'It's the highest price which is falling fastest in both Sydney and Melbourne at the moment,' Mr Kusher said.

This is also in a city which is defying the slowdown in Australia's property market, with prices in Hobart climbing by 3.7 per cent in the three months to the end of May (Gregory Street in Sandy Bay pictured)A family of five has been killed in an explosion at a rental cabin in Washington state, KING5 reports.

Neighbors in Brinnon, Washington, about 40 miles outside of Seattle, called 911 after hearing an explosion around 1am Sunday, the Brinnon Fire Department said in a statement.

The names of the five victims, two adults and three children, are expected to be released as soon as Monday, once relatives have been notified.

A family of five was killed in an explosion at a rental cabin early Sunday morning near Brinnon, Washington, authorities have confirmed

Brinnon Fire Chief Tim Manly said the explosion appears to have been a 'tragic accident'.

One of the listed owners of the home told KING5 on Monday morning that the cabin used to be rented out, but was not being used as a rental property anymore.

She said it was purchased a little over a year ago and was undergoing a remodel.

The owner reportedly said she had visited the cabin a few weeks ago, but that no one was supposed to be at the home at the time of the explosion.

However, Manly has indicated that the victims, three children and their parents, were regular guests at the property rather than squatters.

Neighbors in the small town outside of Seattle reported hearing an explosion around 1am

When the neighbors reported the explosion and subsequent fire early Sunday morning, they indicated that the hillside was engulfed in flames and the cabin was gone.

'It was shocking,' neighbor Jim House told KING5.

Seven local fire departments arrived on the scene, according to a statement released on Sunday night, which said that only two people had been killed.

Three hours later Manly posted an update on the department's Facebook page.

'The investigation has concluded. At this time the total number of fatalities are 5. I will not release any more information till tomorrow. Pending notification of family.

'If you are privy to information, I very respectfully request it not be shared at this time. This is a tragic event and we are committed to doing this right to honor them.

'Please be safe and hug each other a little tighter tonight. Chief.'

The investigation was completed by the Brinnon Fire Department and Jefferson County Sheriff's Office with help from the Washington State Patrol Crime Lab and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.Vikki Campion has dropped a privacy complaint against the newspaper that broke the story of her affair with Barnaby Joyce.

Ms Campion was pictured crossing the road, heavily pregnant, by a Daily Telegraph photographer in February.

The photo was a confirmation of what had been long rumoured in Canberra - that Nationals media adviser Ms Campion was pregnant with Mr Joyce's child.

Mr Joyce and Ms Campion last week sat down with Channel Seven's Sunday night program in exchange for an $150,000 fee. The funds will be paid into a trust for their son Sebastian

Backbench MP Mr Joyce filmed a stoush with a news photographer outside church in Armidale on Sunday and called for greater privacy protections for 'private individuals'

Ms Campion quickly lodged a complaint with the press regulator, the Australian Press Council (APC).

But she withdrew the complaint last week - just days after the Seven Network aired an interview with the couple for which the news outlet paid $150,000.

Ms Campion reportedly complained she had not been contacted for comment prior to publication. This picture has since emerged of Sharri Markson pressing Ms Campion's door buzzer

'I filed a Breach of Privacy complaint when heavily pregnant in an attempt to prevent my baby from being hounded by media after his birth,' Ms Campion told Nine.com.au.

'However he was papped at three weeks of age and drones used over our house.

'To stop being chased, we agreed to an interview.

'I have since approached the press council to close the complaint as I just want to focus on motherhood.'

Reports on Monday revealed that a photograph had circulated in media circles of Sharri Markson - the journalist who broke the Joyce baby story - pressing Ms Campion's apartment buzzer.

In her complaint, Ms Campion had reportedly claimed that she had not been contacted for comment prior to publication.

The Australian reported Ms Markson had been planning to present the photo to the APC as evidence that she had approached Ms Campion for comment. (Daily Mail Australia is a member of the APC.)

'This is not something that has happened over a day - it's something that has happened over months, now over half a year,' Barnaby Joyce said of press intrusion on Monday

Ms Campion was visibly distressed as Mr Joyce confronted photographer Guy Finlay outside the Armidale church

The couple sat down with Channel Seven reporter Alex Cullen only last week

The complaint was dropped as Mr Joyce ramped up his calls for stronger privacy protections for 'private individuals' like his son Sebastian.

The former deputy prime minister called for a 'tort of privacy' to be introduced following a stoush with a photographer outside church in Armidale on Sunday.

Mr Joyce said increased privacy protections would stop 'private individuals' from being harassed 'over a long period of time'.

'This is not something that has happened over a day - it's something that has happened over months, now over half a year,' he said.

'I think there comes a point where there's got to be better protection than what we've got.'

He complained that other tools used to regulate the media - including defamation law and the press regulator - did not have any 'affect' on privacy matters.Millionaire Brexiteer Arron Banks is set to claim that he briefed CIA agents in London on his contacts with a Russian ambassador, according to a new report.

The 52-year-old had three meetings with Alexander Yakovenko, despite previously claiming to have had only a 'boozy lunch' with him.

The insurance tycoon - who bankrolled Leave.EUs campaign - made a trip to Russia in February 2016 - shortly before the Brexit referendum.

Former Ukip donor Mr Banks is also said to have given Russian officials telephone numbers for members of Donald Trump's presidential transition team, just days after he and Mr Farage visited Trump Tower in the wake of the shock US election result.

Now Banks, a close friend of Farage, and his business associate Andy Wigmore will appear before a Commons committee where they are expected to explain their Moscow ties.

Millionaire Brexiteer Arron Banks is set to claim that he briefed CIA agents in London on his contacts with a Russian ambassador, according to a new report. Pictured: Banks with his wife Catya (centre and mother-in-law Olga)

They claim to have met with a senior CIA agent at 5 Hertford Street, a Mayfair club, where they briefed him 'on everything' pertaining to their meeting with the Russian ambassador in November of 2016, reported the Telegraph.

The paper also said the men had kept the agent's business card and are going through their emails to find evidence of their correspondence and meeting.

Damian Collins, the Tory chairman of the committee, said to the paper: 'I think we have a right to know what the level of that contact [with Russia] was. Particularly when Mr Banks himself has sought to deny that.

'He said he only met the Russian ambassador on one occasion; we now know it was more than that. There were trips to Moscow, supposedly lucrative business deals offered. Did those business deals go through?'

Banks is also said to have given Russian officials telephone numbers for members of Donald Trump's presidential transition team, just days after he and Mr Farage visited Trump Tower (pictured) in the wake of the shock US election result

Who is Arron Banks - the man who 'bought Brexit'? The multi-millionaire (pictured) has donated millions to Ukip and in 2016 he backed Mr Farages Leave.EU group Arron Banks has been dubbed the man who bought Brexit for the way he bankrolled Nigel Farages campaign to leave the EU. The multi-millionaire has donated millions to Ukip and in 2016 he backed Mr Farages Leave.EU group. He was pictured alongside Donald Trump when the President met Nigel Farage in New York just days after his shock US election victory. Mr Banks made his fortune from the Bristol-based insurance broker Brightside which he founded. He then went on to found another firm, GoSkippy. He is married to Russian Ekaterina Paderina and has five children. Originally a modest Tory donor, in 2014 he defected to Ukip in desperation at David Camerons stance on Europe. William Hague made the mistake of describing Mr Banks as somebody we haven't heard of following his defection  prompting him to up his donation to Ukip from 100,000 to 1million. Advertisement

He continued: 'Did Mr Banks profit from it? Was that money made used in political campaigning?'

Mr Collins added to BBC One's Sunday Politics programme: 'Russia has a track record of trying to interfere in the politics of other countries, and it does it in a variety of ways. And that's why it's important we understand what level of contact and involvement there was here.

Mr Banks had reportedly been in talks with Yakovenko to invest in a Goldmine and invited out to Moscow for talks.

He visited the city in February - but insists this was not for business talks but just on a family holiday with his Russian wife Catya and mother-in-law Olga.

Mr Banks told The Sunday Times they visited the world famous Hermitage museum on the trip - but that is actually in St Petersburg.

While he also claimed the family went on a river boat cruise, but these do not run in either of the cities in February because of the winter ice.

The discrepancies raise further questions about Mr Banks' ties with Russia and exactly what he was doing in the country.

Mr Banks said the emails containing the explosive revelations were hacked and branded the furore around them a 'witch hunt' driven by anti-Russian feeling.

The trip has come under the spotlight as sensational allegations raising questions about the Kremlin's attempts to meddle in Brexit were exposed after a series of emails were made public.

In the cache, seen by the Sunday newspaper, Mr Banks and his colleague at Leave.EU Andy Wigmore are revealed to have held a series of previously undisclosed meetings with the Russian ambassador.

In his book on the referendum, The Bad Boys of Brexit, Mr Banks claimed to have had only one meeting with Mr Putin's envoy, in September 2015.

But the pair exchanged also had lunch with the ambassador three days after they and Nigel Farage visited US president-elect Donald Trump in New York in November 2016 after his shock election.

Mr Banks admitted he handed over phone numbers for members of Trump's transition team to Russian officials on his return, according to the newspaper.

But he said they also fully briefed US officials at the CIA about their contacts with the Russians.

Mr Yakovenko also reportedly proposed a business deal for the two men involved in the consolidation into one company of several goldmines in Russia.Theresa May has headed off a humiliating defeat on a crucial Brexit Bill vote this week as a last-minute compromise deal was thrashed out with Tory rebels.

Arch Remainers Nicky Morgan and Stephen Hammond are supporting a customs union 'unity' amendment in a peace deal also backed by leading Brexiteer Jacob Rees-Mogg.

Ministers are confident the last-ditch compromise deal, being drawn up by Tory MP and Mrs May's ex policy adviser Oliver Letwin, will peel enough rebels away.

It is a major boost for Mrs May who feared her Remainer rebels would vote to try to force her to keep the UK in the EU customs union - flouting one of her red lines and derailing her Brexit plans.

Mrs Morgan - one of a small band of Tory rebels who could hold the balance of power in a tight vote - said the deal will 'buy them time'.

Brexit Minister Steve Baker said the Government will go into tomorrow's crucial Commons showdown with 'considerable confidence', although other leading rebels, including Anna Soubry and Ken Clarke, have not signed the amendment.

And the success of the deal could still rest with a handful of Leave-supporting labour MPs, one source said last night.

The eleventh hour customs union deal means that all eyes will be on the other key vote today - whether the Commons should get a 'meaningful vote' on the deal.

But the battle between the two warring wings of the Tory Party is just set to be kicked down the road when the Trade and Customs Bills come to Parliament.

Mrs May last night warned Tory rebels they will 'undermine' the UK's negotiating stance with Brussels if they inflict defeat on her plans, and the party must 'deliver Brexit'.

Theresa May (pictured in the Commons today) is facing a huge battle to overturn a slew of amendments passed by peers to the EU Withdrawal Bill, She addressed her MPs this evening to urge them to back her and vote down the amendments tabled by peers

Arch Remainer Nicky Morgan (pictured left) is backing a customs union compromise amendment which was negotiated by Oliver Letwin (pictured right), a Tory MP and the PM's former policy adviser

The PM gave her stern warning to the 1922 committee meeting of Tory MPs tonight as she uses her final hours ahead of the crucial Commons showdown to convince potential rebels to abandon their plans.

What is the 'unity' customs amendment and what does it do? Tory Remainers and Brexiteers united to thrash out a compromise customs amendment in a bid to stave off a humiliating defeat for the government. The amendment requires a minister to outline what they are doing to negotiate a 'customs agreement' with the EU. It will be put to MPs as an alternative to an amendment passed by the House of Lords requiring ministers to spell out what they are doing to seek a 'customs union'. The peace deal has the backing of Remainer rebels Nicky Morgan and Stephen Hammond. And leading Brexiteers including Jacob Rees-Mogg have also put their name to it. If MPs pass it, it means the PM will avoid a humiliating defeat at a crucial stage in Brexit negotiations. But the battle between the two warring wings of the Tory Party is just set to be kicked down the road as Remainers will mount a fresh push to keep the UK in the EU customs union when the Trade and Customs Bills come to Parliament next month. Advertisement

She urged her party's warring factions to send a message of 'unity' to the country in crunch votes this week and not hamper her in talks with Brussels.

She said: 'We must think about the message Parliament will send to the European Union this week.

'I am trying to negotiate the best deal for Britain.

'I am confident I can get a deal that allows us to strike our own trade deals while having a border with the EU which is as frictionless as possible.

'But if the Lords amendments are allowed to stand, that negotiating position will be undermined.'

And speaking outside the 1922 meeting, solicitor general Robert Buckland said the Tories must unite on the Brexit votes warning: 'We will hang together or we'll all hang separately'.

And Tory Vicky Ford, a former MEP who has frequently spoken out against Brexit, joined in the call for unity as she left the meeting.

She told HuffPost UK some of her colleagues needed to 'take a chill pill'.

The Government is facing a huge battle to overturn a slew of amendments passed by peers to the EU Withdrawal Bill.

A group of pro-EU MPs had been threatening to vote with Labour on changes designed to keep the UK in a customs union with the bloc and guarantee a 'meaningful' Commons vote on any final deal.

Senior backbencher Sarah Wollaston said earlier today she was 'minded' to rebel against the government.

In a bid to ease the seething tensions, Mrs May appeared before her parliamentary party to try to talk down potential rebels.

As her party remains deeply divided over the Brexit talks, she urged them to overcome their splits and send a message of unity to the country.

Remainers (pictured outside Parliament today where they are demonstrating) want Britain to stay in the EU single market and customs union after Brexit

Anti Brexit campaigners were out in force outside Parliament today as they stage a 24 hour day of action to pile the pressure on MPs to back the Lords amendments

Health Select Committee chair Sarah Wollaston said she was 'minded' to rebel to support a Lords amendment on giving Parliament a meaningful vote on an exit deal (file picture)

The customs union compromise amendment, which was thrashed out this evening, changes references of a 'customs union' to the far looser one of 'customs arrangement'

What are the 15 Brexit wrecking amendments passed by peers Here are the 15 Brexit Bill defeats inflicted by peers: Forces minsters to try to seek a customs union with the EU Keeps EU law relating to employment, consumer and environmental protections Keeps the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights Removes right of ministers to challenge EU law kept by the UK Allows Britons to bring legal cases when their rights, enshrined in EU law, are flouted Limits the scope of the Government's so-called Henry VII powers Gives Parliament a meaningful vote at the end of talks Gives parliament a veto on the Government's negotiating position Ministers must report on what they are doing to ensure refugee families reunited within Europe Ministers must abide by 1998 Good Friday Agreement Reaffirms that the UK can keep EU laws and stay in EU agencies Gives parliament a veto on the exit day Ministers must try to keep the UK in the EEA and therefore the EU single market Extends how EU laws will be trawled through by Parliament Enshrines EU environmental protections Advertisement

She said: 'The message we send to the country through our votes this week is important.

'We must be clear that we are united as a party in our determination to deliver on the decision made by the British people.'

The appeal comes on the eve of two days of high-stakes debates in the House of Commons.

As allies of the PM stepped up their efforts over the weekend, former Cabinet Ministers Amber Rudd and Iain Duncan Smith told pro-EU backbenchers to 'march in lockstep' or risk opening the door for Jeremy Corbyn.

Ms Rudd, who backed Remain, and Mr Duncan Smith, a Brexiteer, accused Mr Corbyn of 'cynically trying to frustrate the Brexit process for his own political ends'.

Ministers hope to avoid defeat on amendments which seek to keep Britain in the single market and customs union, delay the date of Brexit and tie Mrs May's hands on the Northern Ireland border.

One of the biggest flashpoints will be a change attempting to guarantee Parliament can force the government to renegotiate any package secured by Mrs May.

Critics say that could remove the threat of the UK simply walking away from a bad deal and could even be used to stop Brexit altogether.

Several Tories have already made clear they will vote against the Prime Minister.

Health Select Committee chair Dr Wollaston said she was 'minded' to rebel to support a Lords amendment on giving Parliament a meaningful vote on an exit deal.

Penka saved from the chop A Bulgarian cow due to be executed under EU rules for crossing a border into Serbia has been saved after Sir Paul McCartney led an international outcry. Officials caved into pressure just hours after the star's intervention and promised to return Penka to her owner. Sir Paul signed a petition to save Penka, adding: 'She's done nothing wrong.' The farce unfolded when Penka's owner tried to bring her back over the border, but was told he did not have the correct paperwork. Advertisement

She told BBC Radio 4's Today programme the European Economic Area amendment would 'probably be decided 'another day'.

'We would like to see further concessions on the amendment on the customs union because it is just a very sensible amendment that says keep it on the table, don't completely rule it out,' she said.

'I'm minded at the moment to vote for the meaningful final vote.'

She added: 'If it came back to us then having to have a vote of confidence, we would all vote to support the Prime Minister. We do support the Prime Minister.

'But, I think what matters most here is that all parliamentarians actually focus on the issue at hand here. This isn't about narrow party politics.'

Former chancellor Ken Clarke suggested he would vote against the Government on at least three issues including the single market.

And on Friday fellow rebel Antoinette Sandbach appeared to endorse an article on Twitter under the headline 'Remainers need courage to go for the kill'.

EU officials tear apart PM's customs plan Brussels tried to sow disarray in Brexit talks yesterday by tearing apart Theresa May's customs plan. Setting out a list of objections, EU negotiators said the Prime Minister's proposal to keep the UK temporarily tied to the bloc's rules would fuel fraud and leave key questions 'unanswered'. Michel Barnier's team said the plan failed in its main goal of preventing a 'hard border' in Northern Ireland. Officials working for the EU chief negotiator also questioned how the plan could be temporary, despite guarantees by Mrs May that it would end in December 2021. In a presentation to EU diplomats, they also hinted that the 'complex and unprecedented' UK proposal was an underhand attempt to draft a trade deal under the auspices of a solution on the Irish border. The criticism will be seen as an attempt by the European Commission to stamp its authority as EU member states weigh up how to respond to the UK's plan. Diplomats from the bloc's remaining 27 member states will hold a frantic series of meetings this week to formulate a response, with a new round of talks with the UK pencilled in for next week. The European Commission believes its so-called 'backstop' plan to effectively separate Northern Ireland from mainland Britain is a more effective solution. However, the proposal has been described as unacceptable by Mrs May, who insists the backstop is unlikely to be needed in practice. It came as Brexit Secretary David Davis met Mr Barnier in Brussels, where he raised concerns about the bloc's approach over a future trade deal with the UK. Advertisement

Backbencher Jacob Rees-Mogg said he expected there would be enough unity in Conservative ranks to see the bill through

Former Home Secretary Amber Rudd has issued a joint statement with Brexiteer Iain Duncan Smith calling for the Tories to unite behind the PM and vote down the Brexit Bill wrecking amendments

Backbencher Mr Rees-Mogg said he expected there would be enough unity in Conservative ranks to see the bill through.

The Brexit supporter told LBC radio that he would not expect people like Mr Clarke, who have 'strong principles', to change their minds.

But the Tory MP said there was a recognition within the party that supporting the bill would strengthen the Prime Minister's position and help keep Mr Corbyn's Labour from taking power.

Mr Rees-Mogg said: 'I think there will be some unity this week, it won't be perfect but it ought to be enough to get the bill through and to reinforce the strength of Theresa May's position.'

Peers attached 15 amendments to the Bill, which puts EU legislation on the UK statute book and repeals the 1972 European Communities Act.

Ministers will attempt to overturn or amend all but one over 12 hours of debate.

However, Tory rebels will be offset by some Labour MPs going the other way.

Labour MP Caroline Flint, whose Don Valley seat voted two to one to leave, said any delay to leaving would mean voters taking part in EU elections next year which would be 'completely wrong'.This is the incredible moment hundreds of eggs hatch in the middle of a landfill site - after being thrown out because they were 'spoiled'.

Poultry farmers threw out hundreds of the eggs which were then sent on to a waste disposal site in Marneuli, Georgia.

Several days later in the balmy summer heat in the ex-Soviet republic, the eggs began to hatch.

And within hours there was a chicken run as hundreds of hundreds of tiny chicks ran frantically around helplessly looking for their mothers.

The balmy temperatures offered by the rubbish dump proved to be the perfect conditions for the eggs to hatch

Faced with the invasion, the town's mayor Timur Abazov, said locals were left stunned by the discovery.

'They believed the eggs were spoiled,' he said, 'They were thrown on a dump.

'But there are rocks - and the sun heated the eggs. The conditions were the same as if hens had hatched them.'

The bewildered bureaucrat said: 'So many were hatched. Most chicks have been saved for now - although they may be eaten soon.

'Many local people took the chickens home,' he said.

Resident Sahid Bayramov posted a video of the extraordinary scene.

'A lot of chicken eggs were thrown out near the area known as the Commodity Market,' he wrote.

'After a few days, the scene shocked locals.'

It was 'unclear' why the eggs were thrown out when they were healthy, he said.

Remarkable footage shows hundreds of chicks scurrying around at the feet of a couple of shocked onlookersA drunk passenger forced a holiday flight to be diverted when he became abusive after cabin crew refused to sell him more alcohol.

The passenger was removed from a Jet2 flight, on its way from Belfast for Ibiza, by police after the pilot was forced to make landing in Toulouse, the airline said.

Other passengers said the man was part of a large stag party who queued up for the early morning flight carrying a blow up doll in front of families with young children.

The Jet2 plane was on its way from Belfast to Ibiza when the passenger became abusive after being refused alcohol (file picture)

A Jet2 spokesman said the decision to divert was taken due 'the deplorable behaviour of a particularly disruptive customer', who has now been handed a lifetime ban.

A woman who was on the flight with her partner and four-month-old baby told the BBC that the man was part of a 'large stag group' that was 'quite rowdy' when they came on board.

She said the stag group were some of the last passengers to board the plane.

'The captain introduced himself and gave a really stern warning and reiterated that only alcohol bought on board could be consumed on flight and duty free can't be consumed.'

The passenger said the diversion doubled the length of their trip.

'Passengers couldn't get off the plane and it was roasting,' she said.

One of the other passengers said the stag party had a blow up doll with them as they queued for the flight with children

The man was removed by French police at Toulouse airport (pictured) after the plane landed there

'All the babies and kids on the plane were so unsettled. Six hours in total when it should have been a three hour flight.'

Another passenger said one of the party on the flight was seen holding a blow up doll.

The passenger tweeted: 'Nice one guys! Together with a blow up doll at 7am in front of my kids & long queues. Way to go!'

Phil Ward, managing director at Jet2.com said: 'We will not under any circumstances tolerate this type of disgraceful behaviour onboard our aircraft.

'Fellow customers and families travelling for a well-earned holiday should not be subjected to this sort of behaviour and we sincerely apologise to all the other customers on that flight.

'We will be taking further action in support of our crew to ensure the passenger is held accountable for his actions and indeed he has already received a lifetime ban from future Jet2.com flights.'Donald Trump is ironing out a few logistics with the Prime Minister of Singapore ahead of his unprecedented summit with Kim Jong-un tomorrow.

The US President is at Singapore's government house with the country's leader Lee Hsien Loong finalising preparations before the historic Trump-Kim summit.

Earlier, North Korean media confirmed that Washington and Pyongyang will discuss denuclearisation.

President Trump tweeted that there was 'excitement in the air' and predicted tomorrow's sit down to be a 'very interesting meeting' that has a 'nice outcome.

MailOnline brings you latest updates.

If you're reading this in the app click hereKim Jong Un has invited Donald Trump to visit Pyongyang for a second summit in July, it has been reported.

The North Korean leader extended the invite in a letter that was hand-delivered to Trump in the White House earlier this month by emissary Kim Yong Chol.

If talks go well the July summit could be followed by another meeting in Washington scheduled for September, South Korean media says.

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Kim Jong Un invited Donald Trump to Pyongyang for a second summit in a letter delivered to the White House by emissary Kim Yong Chol (left) earlier this month

Kim and Trump will meet in Singapore on Tuesday, in the first ever summit between the leaders of America and North Korea.

High-ranking officials from both countries have met several times in advance of Tuesday's summit to prepare for the historic talks.

It was at those meetings that the need for further summits was agreed and a rough timetable laid out, Japanese news agency Kyodo News reports.

Kim invited Trump to the North Korean capital on June 1 in a hand-written letter, according to South Korean newspaper JoongAng Ilbo, which cited an anonymous source in Singapore.

It is the first time the contents of the letter have been discussed, after the White House refused to say what it said.

Kim Jong Un and Donald Trump are both in Singapore ahead of the first summit, although staying at separate hotels.

The pair are scheduled to meet at 9am local time on Tuesday,and will hold one-on-one talks for around two hours before being joined by their aides.

Trump met with SIngapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Monday for a working lunch after arriving in the country for his first summit with Kim

Kim Jong Un touched down in Singapore in an Air China jet, with North Korean state-owned media saying his meeting with Trump marks the start of a 'changed era'

North Korea's state-owned newspaper Rodong Sinmun announced the summit to its people on Monday, saying the talks would focus on 'establishing new DPRK-U.S. relations building a durable peace-keeping mechanism on the Korean Peninsularealizing the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula and other issues of mutual concern.'

The newspaper described the summit as the start of a 'changed era'.

Meanwhile US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the US remains committed to achieving the 'complete, verifiable, irreversible denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.'

Kim arrived in Singapore aboard an Air China jet amid fears his Soviet-era Ilyushin IL-62 would not make the distance, having never been taken on a long-haul trip before.

Kim Yo Jong, the North Korean leader's sister, arrived aboard that jet.

Meanwhile Trump touched down aboard Air Force One before meeting with Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.

The pair had a working lunch together, and Trump was presented with a cake ahead of his 72nd birthday, which is on June 14.

Trump told Lee that he has a 'very interesting meeting' tomorrow which he said is 'going to work out very nicely'.

The President will then spend his evening in briefings with senior staff preparing for the summit, a White House spokesman told Dailymail.com.Anthony Bourdain's body is stuck in France delaying his family's plans for a funeral.

The famed cook, writer and host of the CNN series 'Parts Unknown' killed himself in a luxury hotel in the ancient village of Kaysersberg in France's eastern Alsace region on Friday.

But his family is still waiting for the French government to allow his body to be flown back to the United States for burial, his mother told the New York Post.

'They won't be shipping his remains back for a couple of days because of formalities,' Gladys Bourdain told the paper.

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Anthony Bourdain's (left) body is stuck in France delaying his family's plans for a funeral, his mother Gladys Bourdain (right) said

But the 83-year-old, a longtime editor at The New York Times, said this is typical for France.

'I lived there for five years - nothing is done quickly,' she said.

Bourdain's funeral plans are in the hands of his estranged second wife Ottavia Busia Bourdain.

The couple, who have an 11-year-old daughter Ariane, remained on good terms after they separated and she is still his legal next of kin.

'Although they are separated, she'll be in charge of whatever happens. I'm sure she's as broken up as I am,' Gladys said.

Bourdain's funeral plans are in the hands of his estranged second wife Ottavia Busia Bourdain (pictured together in 2015)

The famed cook, writer and host of the CNN series 'Parts Unknown' killed himself in the Le Chambard hotel (pictured) in the ancient village of Kaysersberg, France

At the time of his death, Bourdain's girlfriend was Asia Argento, the Italian actress who has accused Harvey Weinstein of rape.

In an essay written after fellow chef Mario Batali was accused of sexual assault, Bourdain wrote that 'one must pick a side ... I stand unhesitatingly and unwaveringly with the women.'

Argento wrote on Twitter on Friday that Bourdain 'was my love, my rock, my protector.'

Bourdain, 61, whose career catapulted him from washing dishes at New York restaurants to dining in Vietnam with President Barack Obama, hanged himself in a hotel room.

He was founded dead by his good friend and chef Eric Ripert on Friday.

He had been in France working on an upcoming episode of his program, CNN said.

A French prosecutor said on Saturday that there's no evidence of foul play or violence in Bourdain's death.

Christian de Rocquigny, the prosecutor of Colmar in France's eastern Alsace region, said there did not appear to be much planning in Bourdain's suicide.

Bourdain is seen with a film crew at Wistub de la Petite Venise, a restaurant in Colmar, France, on June 4

Bourdain's girlfriend Asia Argento wrote on Twitter on Friday that he 'was my love, my rock, my protector'

'There is no element that makes us suspect that someone came into the room at any moment,' he said, adding that a medical expert had concluded that there were no signs of violence on Bourdain's body.

Rocquigny said toxicology tests were being carried out on Bourdain's body, including urine tests, to see if he took any medications or other drugs, in an effort to help his family understand if anything led him to kill himself.

Bourdain filmed a segment of his show this week at the Michelin-starred Auberge d l'Ill in nearby Illhaeusern, where staff are reeling from his death.

'You actually don't really believe it. You think it's probably a fake,' the restaurant's sommelier, Herve Fleuriel, said, recalling 'that great Chef who was here on Wednesday lunch.'

Fleuriel described what Bourdain ate in one of his final meals - goose liver, frog's legs, fish and pigeon - and a lively exchange Bourdain had with close friend Ripert about the wine and food and how to pair them.

'They looked like they were pretty happy.'

Gladys previously said she had no indication that her son might have been thinking of suicide.

'He is absolutely the last person in the world I would have ever dreamed would do something like this,' she told the Times.

'He had everything. Success beyond his wildest dreams. Money beyond his wildest dreams.'

Bourdain himself didn't deny he had an enviable career.

'I have the best job in the world,' the culinary storyteller told the New Yorker magazine last year. 'If I'm unhappy, it's a failure of imagination.'

Bourdain ate spicy noodles and drank cold beer with Barack Obama in Hanoi, Vietnam, in 2016. On Instagram, Bourdain posted this picture and wrote: 'The President's chopstick skills are on point'

But while undeniably glamorous, his globe-trotting lifestyle took a toll, he suggested.

'I change location every two weeks,' he said. 'I'm not going to remember your birthday. I'm not going to be there for the important moments in your life.'

'I want it all,' he wrote in his breakthrough 2000 memoir, 'Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly.'

'I want to try everything once.'

In that acclaimed book, Bourdain, who born in New York City and raised in Leonia, New Jersey, candidly described his personal struggles, including drug use that led to his dropping out of Vassar College.

But he thrived in restaurant kitchens, and that work led him to the Culinary Institute of America, where he graduated in 1978.

He eventually became executive chef at Brasserie Les Halles in 1998.

In the preface to the latest edition of 'Kitchen Confidential,' Bourdain wrote of his shock at the success of his book, which he managed to write by getting up at 5am before his kitchen shifts.

'The new celebrity chef culture is a remarkable and admittedly annoying phenomenon,' he wrote.

'While it's been nothing but good for business... few people are less suited to be suddenly thrown into the public eye than chefs.'

For confidential support in the US, call the National Suicide Prevention Line on 1-800-273-8255

For confidential support in the UK, call the Samaritans on 116123 or visit a local Samaritans branch, see www.samaritans.org for details.An online guide for Corbynistas to oust sitting Labour MPs has sparked fury among party moderates.

The slick 'wikiHow' page, complete with cartoons, gives step-by-step instructions for left-wing activists to kick out politicians.

It complains that deselecting existing MPs is 'a hard process' but urges people to keep tabling votes of no confidence and put up rival candidates.

The guide has been viewed more than 23,000 times, and fuelled a bitter row within Labour over efforts to eject opponents of Jeremy Corbyn.

The blueprint, apparently drafted by left-wing activists, says there are six steps to deselecting an MP in a local party

The slick 'wikiHow' page, which has been viewed thousands of times, comes complete with cartoons (pictured)

The blueprint, apparently drafted by left-wing activists, says there are six steps to deselecting an MP in a local party.

Tellingly, the first instruction is to 'join the Labour Party' - seemingly an admission that many of those agitating against MPs are not members.

It also urges people to talk about the 'conflict between the left and right wings of the party' to highlight discontent with the incumbent politician.

'Once you have a small group of people, it could be much easier to win over others to your case,' the document says.

'One way of doing this is talking about political differences that you and other members may have with your local MP, for example, if there is a conflict between the left and right wings of the party, or by discussing other ways you are dissatisfied with the work they are doing.'

The guide sets out that Labour MPs must win a majority in a 'trigger ballot' to be reconfirmed as the seat's candidate.

If they lose that vote an open contest is then held to be the party's nominee.

It also highlights another method of using Labour's National Executive Committee (NEC) to evict MPs.

Politicians can also be kicked out after boundary changes, or if they are found guilty of a crime, the guide says.

The guide sets out that Labour MPs must win a majority in a 'trigger ballot' to be reconfirmed as the seat's candidate

The guide urges people to talk about the 'conflict between the left and right wings of the party' to highlight discontent with the incumbent politician

The deselection efforts are at the heart of a bitter row within Labour over efforts to silence opponents of Jeremy Corbyn (pictured on a visit in London last week)

In a 'tips' section the guide urges left-wing activists from different areas to work together.

'Try to make contact with other groups within the Labour party which are pushing for the deselection of MPs. They may already have a plan or some resources,' it says.

The document says that 'lining yourself or one of your friends up to take the place of a deselected MP is a bad idea'. 'You will seem self interested,' it says.

In one extraordinary hint, the guide says: 'It is not recommended to frame your MP for a crime in order to go through the easier deselection process.'

Neil Coyle, Labour MP for Bermondsey & Old Southwark, told The Times: 'The vast majority of Labour members are frankly sick and tired of the small group of obsessives pursuing their own agenda.

'They claim they're backing Corbyn but often it boils down to naked self-in-terest. Most members want us to be ahead in the polls and punishing the government for its multiple failures.'A father and daughter who tried to smuggle nine immigrants into the UK in the back of their camper van have been jailed for a total of nine years.

Baden Williams, 47, and Latasha Perry, 27, were caught at the UK control zone at Coquelles, France, trying to enter the Channel Tunnel.

They told officials that they were returning from a long weekend in northern France, but a search of the car uncovered nine people concealed inside.

Shocked guards found the immigrants - eight Albanians and another man from Turkey - crammed into the van's rear storage compartment and sleeping area.

Shocked guards found the immigrants - eight Albanians and another man from Turkey - crammed into the van's rear storage compartment

Baden Williams (left) and Latasha Perry (right) were caught at the UK control zone at Coquelles, France, trying to enter the Channel Tunnel

The pair claimed to have no knowledge of the immigrants, telling border officers that they had left the can unlocked in Lillers.

However they were arrested on suspicion of assisting illegal entry into the UK, and were found guilty at Canterbury Crown Court on Friday.

Williams, of Pentwynmawr, Caerphilly, was sentenced to five years and six months in prison, while Perry, of Oakdale, Caerphilly, was handed a four-year jail term.

The Albanian and Turkish nationals were handed over to French authorities, the South Wales Argus reported.

A search of the car uncovered nine people concealed inside (some of them are shown in the sleeping area)

David Fairclough, assistant director at Immigration Enforcement's Criminal and Financial Investigation, called the pair's activities a 'reckless gamble'.

Speaking after the trial, he said: 'Williams and Perry took a very ill-advised decision when they chose to involve themselves in immigration crime of this nature.

'My officers specialise in tackling abuses of immigration laws.

'Anyone thinking of doing the same should take this case as a warning. We will catch you and we will ensure that justice is served.'A New Zealand politician shocked the nation after he performed a bold dance move on Dancing with the Stars.

David Seymour took a page out of Miley Cyrus' infamous book and tried his hand at twerking on the national stage.

The New Zealand right wing ACT party leader and MP for Auckland electorate of Epsom was seen sporting a fluro singlet, tight hot pink shorts and fluro sweat bands as he twerked the night away.

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A New Zealand politician (left) shocked the nation after he twerked on Dancing with the Stars

David Seymour (pictured) took a page out of Miley Cyrus' infamous book and tried his hand with the bold dance move on the national stage

The New Zealand right wing ACT party leader and MP for Auckland electorate of Epsom was seen sporting a fluro singlet, tight hot pink shorts and fluro sweat bands (centre)

Thousands took to social media claiming Mr Seymour's electorate 'cannot forgive' the cringe-worthy and 'awkward' dance moves.

'Did my poor innocent eyes really just see David Seymour twerk?,' one person questioned.

For some viewers, the lycra-clad politician's dorky dance moves brought back flashbacks of Australian Opposition Leader Bill Shorten's own 'daggy moves'.

Mr Shorten was mocked in 2015 after footage emerged of him dancing with locals at Kiribati, a Pacific island near Papua New Guinea.

The hilarious dance saw Mr Shorten laughing as he twirled in circles, stomped his feet and left his hands dangled awkwardly beside his waist.

As the dancer wore a traditional head piece, it was the enthusiasm which got the politician through the cringe-worthy performance.

'I usually have no sympathy for Bill Shorten. But no middle age male should be subjected to this,' someone commented at the time.

While the New Zealand politician donned lycra, Australia's own politician once shocked the country with his own embarrassing 'daggy moves' (pictured)Calls to stop a controversial Muslim rapper performing at France's Bataclan theatre has intensified with a demand President Emmanuel Macron take action.

Far-right later Marine Le Pen said it would be a national disgrace to allow Medine's shows take place at the venue of the November 2015 Paris attacks.

The rapper is known in France for provocative ideas and once released an album called 'Jihad'.

Medine has two shows scheduled at Bataclan in October but faces demands to cancel

An online petition has been launched against the rapper who released an album 'Jihad' in 2005

An online protest started by right-wing MPs  'NO to the rapper Medine' playing Bataclan  has gathered more than 13,400 signatures.

Republican leader Laurent Wauquiez said the two concerts would be 'a sacrilege for the victims and a dishonour for France,' reported the The Telegraph.

Lawyers acting for relatives of those killed and injured in the massacre plan to take legal action on the grounds that they pose a threat to public order.

Medine has shows at the venue where 90 concertgoers were massacred during the Paris attacks

The scene outside Bataclan in 2015 after a series of bombings and shootings across Paris

Republicans have asked President Emmanuel Macron, seen here at the G7 summit in Canada on Saturday, to intervene in halting the scheduled performances

Near Paris, Meaux mayor Jean-Francois Cope said it was 'intolerable and completely mad' to allow Medine play planned shows on October 19 and 20.

He, along with senator Eric Ciotti, told President Macron to ban the concert.

Front National head Le Pen tweeted:

'No French person can accept that this bloke goes and pours out his filth at the scene of the #Bataclan.'

Medine, whose full name is Medine Zaouiche, is known for provocative lyrics about Islam and secularism in France.

He released an album called 'Jihad' in 2005 but said the lyrics refer to an internal identity struggle.

In March he launched a single called 'Bataclan' which focussed on his personal relationship with the music venue as an up-and-coming rapper.

His conscious lyrics are perceived as some liberals as confronting difficult ideas.

But lines such as 'I put fatwas on the head of jerks' and 'crucify secularists' on 2015 rap 'Don't Laik' have divided opinion.

Aurore Berge of social-liberal party La Republique En Marche! said the words are 'more or less a call to murder,' according to Le Monde.

Republican senator Bruno Retailleau said Medine warrants the treatment comic Dieudonne got under former President Francois Hollande.

Dieudonne, convicted of spreading hate speech about Jews and condoning terrorism, had a number of his shows banned by Hollande.

Medine has a song with lines 'I put fatwas on the head of jerks' and 'crucify secularists'

Isis claimed responsibility for the violence on November 13, 2015 that claimed the lives of 130 people

Promoters Yuma Productions defended Medine, born in Le Havre and of Algerian descent, and his scheduled gigs saying:

'Medine explained several times about the song 'Don't Laik'. There is no ambiguity in what he says.

'He even wrote a magnificent text on the Bataclan to which everyone adhered.'

New York Times wrote in 2016 that 'Don't Laik' was actually meant to champion France's secularism laws to give people room to practice religion.

Over the weekend, families of the victims at Bataclan sued the French state after it was revealed anti-terror officers armed with assault rifles stood outside the theatre as the carnage unfolded inside were told by superiors not to intervene.A mother allegedly egged her daughter on to stab a school mate with a knife in a shocking brawl while onlookers were forced to stand and watch.

The girl's 13-year-old school opponent suffered slashes to her face, arms, hands and chest in the fight, outside a school in Brazil.

She was treated in hospital for her wounds and was examined by forensic police investigating the incident.

The two girls were friends but fell out over a social media posting which led to a fight after school

The girl wielding the knife given to her by her mother, who appears to intervene to pull the victim away from her daughter during the fight

The two girls are meant to have been best friends who fell out following a disagreement over a video posted on social media.

The incident was reported police and the mother, named as Elaine Santiago, is being sought for questioning by detectives over her apparent involvement.

She is alleged to have passed the knife to her 14-year-old daughter and deliberately stood in the way preventing others from intervening to stop the fight.

At one stage, as the pair rolled on the floor, she appears to step in to pull the victim off her daughter by her hair.

She has disappeared with her child and is facing charges of being an accomplice to attempted murder.

As the 14-year-old girl in the brawl pulls out a knife as the pair continue to pull each others' hair

The pair rolling around on the ground during the vicious brawl. The girl with knife's mother grabs her daughter's opponent hair

It is alleged the woman egged her daughter on to stab her opponent as she yelled 'stab the b***h' from the sidelines

According to witnesses, the older woman prevented bystanders from intervening to break up the fight

The fight comes to an end when the mother takes the knife away from her daughter. She has gone on the run with the girl and is facing charges of being an accomplice to attempted murder

The fight apparently broke out in the middle of a road outside the gates of Nossa Senhora das Gracas school in Belem, in northern Brazil, on 6 June.

The footage, which has just emerged, shows the moment two adolescents viciously batter each other grabbing clumps of hair and lashing out with their fists.

The clash turns deadly when one of the teen aggressor's pulls out a knife and stabs her opponent, delivering more than a dozen blows to the back, chest, face and arms.

The tussle is brought to an end when the woman, seen dressed in shorts and a yellow top, appears to whip the knife from the assailant's hand, believed to be her daughter.

According to eye witnesses, the weapon was allegedly passed by the woman to the girl before the fight. The teen reportedly tucked it into her trouser waistband and pulled it out midway through the brawl.

The aggression was said to have been 'encouraged' by the mother who urged her daughter on shouting at her to 'stab the b***h'. Others who tried to separate the students were forcibly pushed out of the way and told to stay back.

The 13-year-old girl who was stabbed suffered cuts to her face during the after school brawl. She has now been enrolled at a different school following the incident

Speaking to Record TV, the mother of the victim, who did not want to be named said: 'The fight started because someone sent a video in a WhatsApp message group used by the friends and made a joke about it.

'One of them didn't like what was being said about the film and they started to argue in the group.'

Locals condemned the mother for her actions with many saying her example 'was preparing her daughter for a violent future with an outcome of either ending up dead of behind bars'.

A spokesperson from the education department (Seduc) confirmed the altercation took place between two students outside the school's grounds.

They said the school was disappointed with the students' behaviour and 'social workers and school psychologists are working with one of the families involved and attempting to contact the other.

'We have a schools' programme that aims to combat violence among students and promotes educational actions against bullying,' the department added.

However, the mother of the victim argued that her family no longer feels it's safe for the injured student to return to the school.

'We have taken her out and we are trying to get her into a different one, so she can start afresh and continue with her lessons without having to face this animosity again,' the mother said.The hospital which reportedly turned away a father who asked for help two days before he allegedly murdered his five-year-old son was under 'immense stress' dealing with a stabbing incident at the time, a nurse claims.

The 36-year-old father, who has not been identified, was charged with the stabbing murder of the boy at a Carlingford home in Sydney's north-west on Friday morning.

According to sources close to the family, the man unsuccessfully tried to get medical help up to four times in the week leading up to the alleged stabbing.

He was reportedly turned away from the mental health unit at a Northern Sydney mental health centre because there weren't enough beds.

'I can tell you that there were just no beds and no staff to care for him,' a mental health nurse at the hospital told the The Daily Telegraph.

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The father accused with murdering his five-year-old son (pictured) tried to check himself into a mental health facility but was turned away

The 36-year-old was charged shortly after the stabbing at a Carlingford home in Sydney's north-west early Friday morning (pictured)

The boy's grandmother rushed the child about 400 metres away from the home before calling Triple Zero however her five-year-old grandson died shortly after arriving to hospital

It's understood the father tried checking voluntarily checking himself in on Wednesday, the same day four people were stabbed at a birthday party in Asquith.

'On Wednesday last week, the whole hospital was a shambles, we had the Asquith stabbing incident with patients admitted, which resulted in an increased security presence and the mental health unit and the Emergency Department running over capacity,' the nurse told the Daily Telegraph.

A close family friend told 9 News it was not the first time the father had tried seeking help prior to the alleged murder.

The source claimed the man had tried to seek help four times during the week, but was turned away or given increased medicine dosages in every instance.

'He is a product of a broken system and we have to live with the pain for the rest of our lives,' the source said.

A Northern Sydney Local Health District spokeswoman said police were investigating with a report being prepared for the coroner.

The spokeswoman also denied the allegations that beds in the Northern Sydney mental health facility were closed, Daily Telegraph reported.

When the father appeared through video link, he seemed confused asking 'where I am?'

The accused faced Parramatta Bail Court a day later via video link where it was heard the man's family tried to find him help days before the alleged attack

The father was charged with murder early on Friday morning.

The boy's grandmother frantically rushed the child about 400metres away from the home before calling Triple Zero but the child died shortly after arriving at hospital.

The accused faced Parramatta Bail Court a day later via video link from Amber Laurel Correctional Centre where it was heard the man's family tried to find him help days before the alleged attack.

When the father appeared through video link, he seemed confused asking 'where am I?'.

Just 24 hours earlier, the man's 'sweet boy' was being driven away from the house by his 60-year-old grandmother in a desperate attempt to save his life.

Neighbours told Daily Mail Australia the dad 'cared for that boy very much', while witnesses described the grandmother's 'brave' attempt to get her beloved relative to safety.

Another neighbour, Hank, said: 'He was a very sweet little boy ... the relationship between the father and son was a doting relationship.

'[He] ran to his father when he wanted help'.

Neighbours told Daily Mail Australia the dad 'cared for that boy very much', while witnesses described the grandmother's 'brave' attempt to get her beloved relative to safety

A neighbour, Hank, said: 'He was a very sweet little boy ... the relationship between the father and son was a doting relationship'

Just 24 hours earlier, the man's 'sweet boy' was being driven away from the house by his 60-year-old grandmother in a desperate attempt to save his life

New South Wales Police Superintendent Rob Critchlow was full of praise for the grandmother's heroism yesterday but 'despite her best efforts, there was nothing more she could have done'.

Superintendent Critchlow described the level of violence as 'horrendous' as investigations were still in the early stages.

'The fact a young boy - five years of age - has died from being injured in his home, it's probably about as bad as it gets,' he said at the crime scene Friday.

The school boy was rushed to Westmead Children's Hospital but could not be saved.

The youngster's mother visited the hospital however it is unknown where she was at the time of the alleged stabbing.

The 36-year-old father is expected to appear next in court on July 30.

New South Wales Police Superintendent Rob Critchlow was full of praise for the grandmother's heroism yesterday but 'despite her best efforts, there was nothing more she could have done'

Superintendent Critchlow described the level of violence as 'horrendous' as investigations were still in the early stages (scene pictured)

'The fact a young boy - five years of age - has died from being injured in his home, it's probably about as bad as it gets,' he said at the crime scene FridayNorth Korean state media has finally announced to its own people that Kim Jong-un is in Singapore to meet with President Trump.

Ri Chun Hee, North Korea's best-known news anchor, made the announcement on Korean Central Television while newspaper Rodong Sinmun also covered the story on its front page.

Rodong ran images showing Kim disembarking the Air China jet he used to fly to the summit as well as him meeting with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.

Ri Chun Hee, North Korea's best-known anchor, delivered news of the summit taking place on Korean Central Television on Monday. North Koreans had previously been told that a summit would take place, but not when or where it would happen

North Korea's state newspaper Rodong Sinmun announced that Kim is in Singapore to meet with President Trump on Monday

North Koreans were told two weeks ago that a summit between Kim and Trump would take place, but not when or where it would happen.

North Korea often keeps its people in the dark about important events until the last minute. In this case it may have down so to thwart a potential coup against Kim.

The dictator is known to be paranoid of attempts to topple him, replacing his top three military generals with ultra-loyalists shortly before the summit.

Kim also took an Air China jet to Singapore instead of his own private plane in order to provide an added layer of security.

The jet also changed route and call-sign mid-air, data from tracker Flightradar24 shows, in an apparent attempt to disguise who it was carrying.

Kim's private plane did travel to Singapore, but is believed to have carried sister Kim Yo Jong and other top-ranking members of the delegation.

Kim traveling on a separate plane from his sister also adds another layer of security, North Korean researcher Christopher Green told NK News.

'The U.S. president and vice president don't generally travel on the same plane,' he said. 'That is for reasons of security and continuity of government.'

'North Korea has its own royal lineage - the Kim family - and so it is natural that Kim Yo Jong traveled to Singapore separately from her brother.'

South Korean media also claims there were fears that Kim's Soviet-era plane might not survive the trip.

Kim traveled to the summit on an Air China plane which switched call-sign and route mid-flight in order to protect the dictator, who is fearful of assassination attempts

The rest of Kim's delegation arrived in Singapore on board the dictator's private plane, having stopped off to refuel in China en-route

Kim Yo Jong, Kim's sister, is believed to have been on board the private aircraft - traveling separately from her brother to provide an added layer of security

A diplomatic source in Seoul told newspaper Chosun Ilbo: 'There was some trepidation about flying the 4,800 km distance aboard Kim Jong-un's own aging plane, so a third country is expected to supply it.'

A North Korean cargo plan also flew to Singapore, likely carrying supplies an equipment for the delegation.

Kim is scheduled to meet Trump at 9am local time on Tuesday in what will be the first ever meeting between leaders of America and North Korea.

The pair will have one-on-one talks for around two hours before being joined by their aides for further negotiations.

Kim is currently scheduled to leave Singapore around 2pm on Tuesday with Trump departing on Wednesday morning.

The North Korean leader has reportedly already invited Trump for a second summit in Pyongyang in July provided the first round of talks go well.

The invitation was made in a hand-written letter that was delivered to Trump at the White House by North Korean emissary Kim Yong Chol, South Korean newspaper JoongAng Ilbo reported.

A third summit could then take place in Washington in September.

Rodong said Kim is in Singapore to work on 'establishing new DPRK-U.S. relations building a durable peace-keeping mechanism on the Korean Peninsularealizing the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula and other issues of mutual concern.'

The newspaper said the summit marks the start of a 'changed era' for North Korea and the US.

Meanwhile Trump told Singapore's Prime Minister that he is preparing for a 'very interesting meeting' with Kim and feels it is 'going to work out very nicely'.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who is in Singapore alongside Trump, tweeted that the US is committed to the 'complete, verifiable, irreversible denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.'Mrs May (pictured in Downing Street today) conceded that the handling contributed to a feeling that she 'did not care' about the plight of victims

Theresa May issued a grovelling apology for her handling of the Grenfell blaze today - admitting it was 'not good enough'.

The Prime Minister said she would 'always regret' failing to meet survivors in the immediate aftermath of the tragedy.

Mrs May conceded that the handling contributed to a feeling that she 'did not care' about the plight of victims.

The stark mea culpa came ahead of the first anniversary of the London tower block fire that claimed 82 lives.

Housing Secretary James Brokenshire admitted to MPs today that progress on rehousing those left homeless in the blaze has been 'too slow'.

Meanwhile, London Mayor Sadiq Khan has condemned the government for its 'inconsistent, chaotic and inhumane' treatment of Grenfell survivors.

As the inquiry into the fire in the west London housing block continues, Mr Khan laid into 'institutional indifference' to those who managed to escape the blaze.

He called on the PM to increase efforts to support those made homeless by the fire and help overseas relatives get visas to attend the official inquiry.

Writing in the Evening Standard, Mrs May gave a withering assessment of her own performance following the fire.

'It was a tragedy unparalleled in recent history and, although many people did incredible work during and after the fire, it has long been clear that the initial response was not good enough,' she wrote.

'I include myself in that.

'The day after the disaster I made the first of a number of trips to the site, thanking the firefighters for their work and holding a short meeting with the team in charge of the response.

Housing Secretary James Brokenshire (pictured in parliament today) told MPs that the immediate response to the fire was not good enough. The PM was in the Commons to hear the statement

Thursday is the year anniversary of the Grenfell Tower blaze. The structure has now been completely covered in scaffolding and screens

'What I did not do on that first visit, was meet the residents and survivors who had escaped the blaze.

The 30 errors that resulted in the Grenfell tragedy Here are the 30 errors which resulted in the Grenfell Tore fire which left 72 people dead. 1 There is no statutory requirement for central alarm systems in tower blocks because it would conflict with the policy of residents staying put in flats. 2 No sprinklers. 3 Firefighters should have directed their hoses on or above the fire, but videos show they were being targeted below. 4 A pipe system to get water up the 24-storey block could not cope and was overloaded  leaving the upper floors, where most people died, vulnerable. 5 Water pipe failure meant fire crews had to pump their own water onto the fire. 6 The failure of the fire lift system delayed firefighters. 7 Advice for residents to stay put in the event of a fire was futile within half an hour of the blaze breaking out  but still slavishly adhered to for another 80 minutes. 8 Combustible cladding panels and insulation systems were ruled substantially to blame. 9 Two types of cladding and four different insulation layers did not comply with building regulations. 10 Two cavity barriers did not have the required fire performance certificates. 11 The cladding produced toxic smoke that slowed the firefighters as it forced them to wear breathing apparatus. 12 Designers and builders had no idea how the cladding system would perform in a fire as no tests were carried out. 13 Neither the London Fire Brigade nor Kensington and Chelsea Tenant Management Organisation, which was responsible for Grenfell, carried out risk assessments of the cladding. 14 Flammable aluminium panels fixed to the tower and on more than 300 other blocks across England were never subjected to a full British Standard fire test. 15 Stairwell was too narrow and soon became impassable thanks to smoke, darkness, firefighters and distressed and dying victims. 16 An architectural feature called a crown at the top of the building caught fire and also helped the blaze spread horizontally. 17 Design of tower blocks is supposed to compartmentalise fires into individual flats  but this was not effective at Grenfell. 18 Ventilation system for removing smoke from lobbies failed. 19 Fire stops between each floor were not installed correctly, meaning nothing stopped the blaze leaping up the tower. 20 A culture of non-compliance appeared to exist in the maintenance of the tower. 21 Most of the fire doors leading to the 120 flats were relatively new but did not comply with building regulations. 22 Some doors failed within 20 minutes even though they should have blocked fire for an hour. 23 Doors were fitted with a variety of different locks, hinges and letter plates that could significantly reduce fire resistance. 24 Forty-eight doors had glazing that failed and allowed flames and smoke to pass directly through. 25 Fourteen of the doors to Grenfells flats were of unknown origin. 26 Some doors designed to self-close failed to do so, allowing the fire to spread more quickly. 27 Doors were left open by fire hoses and in one case, a body. 28 Defective windows installed in the 2012-16 refurbishment allowed the fire to spread from a single kitchen to the external cladding through gaps in frames. 29 Windows had no fire-resistant cavity barriers encasing them and these openings were surrounded by combustible material. 30 During refurbishment, the windows were fitted in an improvised manner that may have made them less safe. Advertisement

'But the residents of Grenfell Tower needed to know that those in power recognised and understood their despair.

'And I will always regret that by not meeting them that day, it seemed as though I didn't care.'

She added: 'That was never the case.'

Mrs May revealed that camellia bushes would be planted in the Downing Street gardens this week to commemorate the disaster.

'As night falls on Thursday, buildings across the country, including 10 Downing Street, will be illuminated in green  a very visible tribute to everyone affected by the fire,' she wrote.

'As part of Green for Grenfell, children from primary schools around the tower will visit No 10 tomorrow to plant two camellia bushes in the garden here.

'Camellias flower in the winter months, bringing life and colour to the darkest times of the year. Growing within sight of the cabinet room, they will provide a lasting reminder of those we lost on that darkest of nights.'

Ahead of the year anniversary of the fire which claimed 82 lives, Mr Khan told Mrs May: 'The process of healing and securing justice will take time but more can be done now to support and care for these families, to make their lives more manageable and ensure they are in a position to participate fully in the inquiry.

'The institutional indifference these families have faced in the 12 months since the fire is simply unacceptable.

'Your government has failed to give the support so clearly required by the local authority as these families experienced repeated failures and broken promises from the government and Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea.'

Speaking to the Commons today, Mr Brokenshire admitted that progress has been too slow.

He said: 'This will be a painful time for the communitythe whole House will join me in sending the bereaved and survivors our love and prayers.

'A catastrophe of this kind should never have happened in the UK in 2017 and when it was the response wasnt good enough.'

He said that while progress has been made, more must be done.

He said: 'I remain very concerned about the 43 households who are still living in hotels.I have personally written to all of them

'This is not where any of us wanted to be a year after the fire..the pace has been too slow.'

He added: 'We will not rest until everyone is settled in new homes.'

A Downing Street spokesman insisted the government has been 'working with survivors to support them as they rebuild their lives and to ensure they get the truth and justice they deserve'.

The spokesman added: 'One hundred and ninety-eight of 203 households from Grenfell Tower and Grenfell Walk  98 per cent of households  have now accepted temporary or permanent accommodation.

'To assist those in need, the government has spent over 46m to support recovery following the Grenfell Tower fire and committed an additional 34m to support Grenfell recovery.

'We have provided 100,000 to support local businesses, made 3m available for community spaces and allocated 10m for ongoing mental and emotional support.

'The prime minister is committed to helping the people of Grenfell Tower learn the facts about what happened, to see that lessons are learned and justice is done.'

On Thursday it will be 12 months since a small kitchen fire in the west London high-rise turned into the most deadly domestic blaze since the Second World War.

There will be no hearings for the five days to give those directly affected 'the time and the space in which to remember and to reflect upon their lost ones at the distressing time of the first anniversary', counsel to the inquiry Richard Millett said.

Members of the grieving north Kensington community will come together for a 24-hour vigil on the eve of the anniversary, to reflect on the 72 people who died.

At 1.30am, the names of the fire's victims will be read out at St Clements' church.

On the anniversary at midday, survivors and the bereaved will gather close to the tower's base to observe a minute's silence.

A community mosaic is to be unveiled, while wreaths will be laid and candles lit.Advertisement

If you think looking after two or three kids is stressful enough, spare a thought for these over-worked parents.

Two Canada geese acted as day-care workers as they took an incredible army of 51 goslings for a dip in a lake in Leduc, Canada.

The adorable baby geese were seen huddled together with their nanny to follow her across the lake as a father goose kept watch.

The caring bird and her mate took over parental duties for first-time parents, giving the young chicks a better chance of survival.

Perfect day for a swimming lesson: A pair of Canada geese is captured leading a giant gaggle of goslings to cool off at a lake

The baby geese huddle together with their nanny to follow her into lake in Leduc, Canada as a father goose kept watch

The bird and her mate took over parental duties for first-time parents, giving the young chicks a better chance of survival

The amazing photographs of the family were captured by 50-year-old photographer Joe Chowaniec.

'My first reaction, was 'wow,' the amateur photographer from Edmonton said.

'I have photographed a lot of birds and geese and I have seen 15 to 20 goslings maybe, but not this many - it was quite the sight.'

'The local wildlife expert said that this pair are much older that a lot of the other geese. They will take them under their care from first time parents for a better chance of survival.'

He said the operation is almost like 'gosling day care', where other geese will leave them with experienced parents, while they go off and 'do geese things'.

A mother goose goes for a dip in a lake in Leduc, Canada - with an incredible army of 51 adorable goslings

An adorable gosling searches for food while its nanny geese keeps a close watch nearby at a lake in Leduc, Canada

The 51 goslings are seen huddling together with their nanny goose as they take to the water for the first time

'A little guy was found orphaned somewhere else and he was released into this group. He ran right to the group and was accepted right away with no issue,' he added.

'They seem to naturally know to keep very close to mum and dad. There is lots of squawking from the pair to keep them together.'

Introduced to the United Kingdom from North America in the 17th century, the Canada Goose is a large wild goose species with a distinctive black head and neck and large white throat patch.

They live near water, grassy fields, and grain fields and feed on roots, grass, leaves and seeds.

The incredible pictures are taken by 50-year-old photographer Joe Chowaniec, who says it was 'quite the sight'

Introduced to the United Kingdom from North America in the 17th century, the Canada Goose is a large wild goose species

The goslings 'seem to naturally know to keep very close to mum and dad,' photographer Joe Chowaniec saysA Love Island star who asked if Brexit meant 'we won't have any more trees' dropped out of her university course which involved teaching politics to children.

Liverpudlian model Hayley Hughes came in for some stick from viewers of ITV2's hit programme following a discussion between contestants over Britain's EU exit.

The 21-year-old stunned watchers with her ignorance over the issue, after she brazenly said: 'Whats that? I seriously dont have a clue what it is.'

Now it has been revealed that the former Miss British Isles enrolled at Hope University in Liverpool in 2015 for a three-year course called childhood and youth.

Liverpudlian model Hayley Hughes came in for some stick from viewers of ITV2's hit programme following a discussion between contestants over Britain's EU exit

Hayley shares a kiss with fellow contestant Eyal, hours before telling other people on the show that he makes her 'feel sick'

As part of the BA honours course, students would 'explore political debates' as part of their studies into the issues faced by young people across the world.

According to the Daily Star, Hayley did not last the distance, dropping out after a year to pursue an acting career.

In the hour-long episode on Friday night, the Islanders dipped into British politics and discussed Britain leaving the EU.

Student Georgia Steel, 20, kicked off the conversation by quizzing the group about their views on Brexit - Hayley admitted she had no idea what it was.

Georgia, from York, explained it meant the UK 'leaving the European Union', but Hayley still looked baffled by the idea.

In the hilarious segment, Hayley then asked if Britain leaving the European Union would result in the loss of trees.

The 21-year-old stunned watchers with her ignorance over the issue, after she brazenly said: 'Whats that? I seriously dont have a clue what it is'

'It would mean welfare, and things we trade with would be cut down,' Georgia explained.

Still seemingly confused by the entire topic, Hayley awkwardly asked: 'So that does that mean we won't have any trees?'

There was a bit of hilarious confusion when West End dancer Samira Mighty misheard Ms Hughes and thought she said 'cheese' rather than 'trees'.

Ms Steel then suggested: 'Doesn't it mean it would be harder to go to Spain and stuff?'

A concerned Ms Hughes replied: 'So it would be harder to go on holidays?'

'Painful!'Taking to Twitter, one flabbergasted fan wrote: 'Watching the girls talk about Brexit on Love Island has made me lose brain cells' while another described the scene as 'tragic'

The group told her 'yes I think so', before a deflated Ms Hughes said: 'Oh I love my holidays.'

Fans watching at home were completely dumbfounded listening to the conversation and took to Twitter to poke fun at the contestants.

One fan wrote: 'Watching the girls talk about Brexit on Love Island has made me lose brain cells.'

'The girls on Love Island talking about Brexit are stressing me out!' said another, while a third wrote: 'The Brexit conversation on Love Island is the best thing I've seen all year'.

'Hayley not knowing what Brexit was is hurting my ears!!!! Please make it stop!'

'I don't think anything put me through more pain than watching that tragic political conversation.'

Fans watching at home poked fun at the contestants for their hilarious discussion about Brexit (Pictured, 20-year-old student Georgia Steel)The self-confessed lothario who won the label 'Britain's biggest player' has been jailed for doing a runner from a restaurant after racking up a 450 bill.

Daniel Wagster, 29, has unashamedly bedded an estimated 2,500 women and bragged about cheating on his ex with more than 50 other women.

But when he tried to cheat Piccolino restaurant in Stockton Heath near Warrington, Cheshire, his luck had run out.

Wagster, from Manchester, was jailed for eight weeks at Warrington Magistrates' Court on Wednesday and was ordered to pay the outstanding 447.50 bill to Piccolino.

Daniel Wagster, 29, ran away from Piccolino restaurant in Stockton Heath near Warrington, Cheshire without paying his bill

Wagster, 29, once claimed he has not gone two days without having sex after getting attention from women after he started going to the working out

His sentence came after he and three pals dined out on high-end steaks at a in July 2016 while celebrating a friend's birthday.

They also ordered four bottles of champagne to help wash the whole lot down - with prices starting at 30 each.

The group racked up a 450 bill during the course of a six-hour stay at the Italian eatery.

At the end of the meal, Wagster was left with the bill but complained about the quality of two of the steaks - which was deducted from the total - and the slow service.

Wagster continued drinking in the outside area before he made a swift getaway after making no attempt to pay the bill, a court heard.

Piccolino restaurant in Cheshire where Wagster ran up a 450 bill with three friends but left without paying. He has now been jailed

Wagster claims to have slept with 2,500 women and cheated on his girlfriend more than 50 times

Prosecuting, Debbie Byrne said: 'When the restaurant staff brought the bill over to the table, Wagster complained about the quality of two of the steaks and these were deducted from the total.

'He then told staff that the service was too slow and the group were going to carry on drinking in the outside area.'

Defending, Zoe Earle said: 'Wagster had been out celebrating a friend's birthday. Four of them went for food, two males and two females and more friends joined for drinks.

'After complaining about the steaks, Wagster said he would pay for the bill and continued drinking for several hours.

'He was left by his friends to pay for the bill. He has been made a scapegoat in this matter.'

Chairman of the bench of magistrates, Alan Davies sentenced Wagster to eight weeks in prison and ordered him to pay the 447.50 bill to Piccolino.

Wagster has 12 previous convictions for 16 offences including assault, burglary and harassment.

He made national headlines in April 2016 after being dubbed 'Britain's biggest player' claiming he slept with more than 2,500 women.

The personal trainer has previously described his sex life as 'fast and furious' and admits to cheating on his ex-girlfriend with 50 different women.

At the time, Danny said he first attracted a lot of attention from women when he was 18 and started working out at the gym.

Daniel Wagster brags about his lifestyle on social media - but was not able, or not willing - to pay a 450 bill at a restaurant in Cheshire

Wagster, 29, says he has slept with multiple women in the same night and does not like to use contraception

Since then he claims he has not gone two days without having a romp and beds an average of four or five women a week.

He boasts he has had threesomes and even slept with four girls in the space of 24 hours in a Manchester hotel.

But despite the number of women he beds, he is reluctant to use contraception and is not bothered about making girls have abortions if they get pregnant.

He said safe sex isn't 'massively important' to him, adding he will wear a condom if he has to but 'I'd rather not because it feels like I'm wearing a crisp packet and kills the mood'.

The personal trainer even referred to making women cry as a 'hobby' on Twitter when he wrote: 'Trip to the casino tonight... try my luck at gambling. May aswell take up a new hobby other than upsetting girls. Ha. #yawinsomeyalosesome.'

Danny rates himself as an 11 out of 10 in bed and also brags that he is 'well-equipped down there'.Advertisement

Pope Francis was seen being the subject of legendary photographer Annie Leibovitz at the Vatican this weekend.

The award-winning photographer snapped away while the pontiff met with groups of children at the Vatican on Saturday, and was seen moving around behind Pope Francis to capture his best angles.

Some 500 children had travelled from across Rome and Milan as part of the 'Treno dei Bambini' initiative - the Children's Train in English - which aims to give young people living in disadvantaged areas of Italy a 'day of joy'.

Pope poser: Legendary US photographer Annie Leibovitz is seen trying to get the perfect shot of Pope Francis at the Vatican

Legend behind the lens: Ms Liebovitz was seen pondering light and angles as she photographer the pontiff on Saturday

Smile for the camera: The photographer leans in as she captures Pope Francis meeting a group of children in the Vatican

It is not known for what purpose Ms Leibovitz was taking photographs of Pope Francis, but as she has earned world-wide fame for her stunning portraits, it is likely she aimed to capture the Catholic church leader in his day-to-day life.

Speaking to the children in the Vatican on Saturday, the Pope urged them to remember their first teacher, saying he had kept in touch with the woman who taught him in first grade, until her death aged 94.

'Never forget the first teachers, never forget the school, because they are the roots of your culture,' he was quoted as saying by Vatican News.

The photographer took photos of the Pope as he met children benefiting from the 'Treno dei Bambini' initiative

The Children's Train initiative aims to give young people living in disadvantaged areas of Italy a 'day of joy', and saw 500 children travel to the Vatican for an audience with the Pope

In the best light: It is not known for what purpose Ms Leibovitz was taking photographs of the Pope

All day job: She was later seen following Pope Francis outside as he greeted the crowds

The 81-year-old, who is the 266th Pope, added: 'Remembering your teachers and your schools will help you not to be uprooted, and help you bear flowers and fruits.'

Separately, the Pope also addressed the forthcoming summit in Singapore between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, saying he hopes it will lead to peace for Korea.

'I want, once more, to offer the beloved people of Korea an especial thought of friendship and prayer that the talks which will take place in the coming days in Singapore can contribute to the development of a positive path that guarantees a peaceful future for the Korean peninsula and for the whole world,' the pope said in his regular Sunday address.Theresa May today slammed Donald Trump for 'ignoring' the views of his G7 allies over punitive steel tariffs.

The Prime Minister took aim at the US president's 'disappointing' behaviour after he dramatically disowned the communique from the gathering in Canada over the weekend.

She also pointedly heaped praise on Canadian PM Justin Trudeau for his 'skillful' chairmanship of the gathering - despite Mr Trump branding him 'weak' and 'dishonest'.

Mrs May was among a group of premiers, spearheaded by German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who berated the US president over his imposition of punitive steel tariffs.

The countries - the US, UK, France, Germany, Japan, Canada and Italy - eventually hammered out a statement committing to 'free, fair, and mutually beneficial trade' and tackling protectionism. But within minutes Mr Trump dramatically condemned the communique and launched a furious attack on Mr Trudeau.

In a statement to the Commons today, the PM took aim at the US president's 'disappointing' behaviour after he dramatically disowned the communique from the gathering in Canada over the weekend

Mrs May (pictured centre left) was among a group of leaders who berated the US president about his imposition of punitive steel tariffs at the G7 summit in Canada over the weekend

Mrs May, pictured in Downing Street today, said she was still looking forward to Mr Trump's visit to the UK next month. The US president is in Singapore (pictured right) for his summit with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un

Mr Trump also complained that Russia had been shut out of the gathering.

In her most direct criticism of the US president so far, barely a month before he is due to visit the UK, Mrs May said free trade cannot be furthered by taking unilateral action against your partners'.

At this summit we expressed deep disappointment sat the unjustified decision of the United States to apply tariffs to steel and aluminium imports, she said.

As longstanding allies we do not make progress by ignoring each others concerns but by addressing them together.

Mrs May added: 'The loss of trade through tariffs undermines competition, reduce productivity, removes the incentive to innovate and ultimately makes everyone poorer, and in response the EU will impose countermeasures.'

The president's decision to slap huge 25 per cent duty on imports of steel and 10 per cent on aluminium from countries including the UK and the rest of the EU has raised the prospect of a trade war.

After the EU threatened to retaliate with taxes on bourbon, blue jeans and Harley Davidson motorcycles, Mr Trump warned that would be a mistake.

Despite the differences, Mr Trudeau announced that the leaders had managed to agree a joint communique at the summit which highlighted the importance of 'free, fair and mutually beneficial trade and investment' and said the G7 would 'continue to fight protectionism'.

He said: 'We had some strong, firm conversations on trade and specifically on American tariffs.'

But after saying he would give his relationship with fellow world leaders 10 out of 10, Mr Trump hit out at his northern neighbour.

He tweeted that he would not now endorse the communique due to 'false statements' from the Canadian PM.

He wrote: 'Based on Justin's false statements at his news conference, and the fact that Canada is charging massive Tariffs to our U.S. farmers, workers and companies, I have instructed our U.S. Reps not to endorse the Communique as we look at Tariffs on automobiles flooding the U.S. Market!'

What are tariffs and why has Trump's plan to impose them been met with such criticism? Tariffs are charges which governments can slap on certain goods or products imported into the country. Taxing items coming into a country makes them more expensive  and people less likely to buy them as a result. Imposing such tariffs makes people more likely to turn to local products instead  theoretically protecting domestic jobs. However, Governments usually try to negotiate minimum tariffs so that goods can be traded freely around the world. This is because for many years most politicians have agreed that free trade leads to greater wealth and makes products cheaper to buy in the shops. The US says the balance had shifted because China has massively ramped up the amount of steel it has produced in recent years and dumped it cheaply on the market. This global steel glut has made it far harder for steel industries in other countries to compete - prompting plant closures and job losses. Donald Trump has responded to domestic anger by imposing his hefty tariffs in a bid to protect the American steel industry. But critics around the world have blasted the move - warning this will result in a tit for tat trade war which will only push up prices in the long term. Advertisement

He added: 'PM Justin Trudeau of Canada acted so meek and mild during our @G7 meetings only to give a news conference after I left saying that, 'US Tariffs were kind of insulting' and he 'will not be pushed around.' Very dishonest & weak. Our Tariffs are in response to his of 270 per cent on dairy!'

Mrs May said today that the communique should be 'honoured'.

'I want to pay a particular tribute to Prime Minister Trudeau for his leadership and skilful chairing, which enabled us - after two days of negotiation between leaders - to agree actions and a shared approach on some of the most pressing challenges facing the international community and our citizens,' she told MPs.

'The United Kingdom fully intends to honour the commitments we have made.'

Earlier today, senior Tory MP Jacob Rees-Mogg said a photograph of Mrs Merkel and other leaders facing off against Mr Trump over the text of the conclusions was 'extraordinary'.

He insisted there was no point lecturing the powerful US president with 'liberal platitudes'.

'Does the President of the US lose much sleep about what M Trudeau thinks?' he said during an LBC radio phone-in.

During the meeting, Mr Trump accused other states of 'robbing' his country through their trade policies and proposed scrapping tariffs across the G7.

Mrs May hit back, branding the tariffs 'unjustified' and saying the EU would respond - although she warned against further tit-for-tat escalation.

Despite the tensions at the gathering in Canada, Mr Trump rated his relationship with their leaders as a '10' - naming Germany's Angela Merkel, French President Emmanuel Macron and Mr Trudeau, but not the UK Prime Minister.

As well as criticising the tariffs, Mrs May also opposed Mr Trump's call for Russia to be readmitted to the group of leading industrialised nations.

But Mr Trump insisted it would be an 'asset' to have Vladimir Putin back at the summit table.

The US president, who left the summit in La Malbaie early to head for his talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, told reporters the US needed protectionist tariffs because 'we are like the piggy bank that everyone is robbing'.

Mr Trump warned the EU: 'If they retaliate they are making a mistake.'

Mrs May said: 'Where we disagree with our allies on something it is right that we say so and air the issue openly and frankly.

'We have done just that at this summit, registering our deep disappointment at the unjustified decision by the US to apply tariffs to EU steel and aluminium imports.

'In response, the EU will impose counter-measures.'

But 'at the same time we need to avoid tit-for-tat escalation' and maintain a constructive dialogue, she said.

The Prime Minister said the UK still wanted to discuss a post-Brexit trade deal with the US and said Mr Trump was still looking forward to July's visit to Britain.

'We have a very good relationship with President Trump, we work with President Trump, the UK has a very good relationship with the US,' she said.

'President Trump and I had a brief word here at the summit about how he is looking forward to his visit to the UK and I look forward to welcoming him to the UK.'

The US president repeated his call for Vladimir Putin to join the other leaders around the summit table.

'I think it would be an asset to have Russia back in, I think it would be good for the world, I think it would be good for Russia, I think it would be good for the United States, I think it would be good for all the countries of the current G7,' he said.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel led resistance to Mr Trump after he accused other states of 'robbing' his country through their trade policies

In her most direct criticism of Mr Trump so far, barely a month before he is due to visit the UK, Mrs May said free trade cannot be furthered by taking unilateral action against your partners'

Mr Trump and Mr Trudeau (pictured right) clashed bitterly at the G7 summit that took place in Canada over the weekend

'I think the G8 would be better, I think having Russia back in would be a positive thing.'

Russia was thrown out of the group in 2014 over the annexation of Crimea.

Mrs May has been at the forefront of diplomatic efforts to build an alliance against Russia after the Salisbury nerve agent attack on ex-spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia.

She said: 'If there are to be any conversations about Russia's future in relation to this particular group, they have to change their ways, they have to change the route that they are taking and the sort of activity they are involved in.'

Mr Trump's strained relationship with the rest of the G7 was in evidence on Saturday when he arrived late for the opening session, with Mr Trudeau addressing a gathering that included an empty chair where the president was meant to be.

But despite the rows over trade and Russia, Mr Trump rated his relationship with other G7 leaders as 10 out of 10.

'I would say that the level of relationships is a 10 - we have a great relationship. Angela (Merkel) and Emmanuel (Macron) and Justin (Trudeau) - I would say the relationship is a 10.

'The relationship that I've had with the leaders of these countries - I would really rate it, on a scale of zero to 10, I would rate it a 10.

'That doesn't mean I agree with what they are doing, and they know very well that I don't.'Hannah Sandover, 18, has been fined 200, after she falsely accused her ex of drugging and raping her

A teenager who got back at her ex by falsely claiming he drugged and raped her has been fined 200 after she admitted wasting police time.

Hannah Sandover, 18, dated her ex-boyfriend, also 18, for a year when they split and then made up the rape when he refused get back together with her, Salisbury Magistrates' Court heard.

Sandover later told a friend he had put drugs in the bottle of water she was drinking from and forced himself on her in the back of his car during a trip to the Westbury White Horse in Wiltshire.

Her worried friend went to police and Sandover gave a statement to detectives saying: 'He became forceful and pinned me down, I kept telling him to stop. I think he had drugged the water I was drinking.'

She claimed she got into the back of car to stretch out in an attempt to ease stomach pains, before her former boyfriend jumped on her.

Sandover, who was from Southwick, Wiltshire, at the time, said a friend was sitting in the front of the car, but was listening to music through headphones.

But when she was taken to a clinic for an intimate examination her story started to change as she admitted she hadn't been drugged.

And when her family began to question the story, Sandover admitted she made it all up and the pair had engaged in consensual sex.

Sandover's story unravelled after giving a statement to police and later admitted she made it all up but was too scared to admit it initially

Sandover later told a friend he had put drugs in the bottle of water she was drinking and forced himself on her in the back of his car during a trip to the Westbury White Horse in Wiltshire (pictured)

She admitted a charge of wasting police time at Salisbury Magistrates' Court, Wiltshire, and was given a four-month suspended sentence.

The teenager said she was 'too scared to admit she had been lying'

Sandover was also given a restraining order stopping her from contacting her former lover for two years, ordered to pay 200 in compensation and complete up to 15 days of rehabilitation activity requirement.

Prosecutor Ryan Seneviratine said: 'Miss Sandover is extremely lucky that she didn't get charged with perverting the course of justice, only due to her age and the fact she has no previous convictions.

'Her ex-boyfriend has said his confidence in approaching girls has been completely ruined.

'He was kept in custody for five-and-a-half hours and underwent intimate tests.

'And all because she wanted to get back at him.

'She had numerous times to say the allegations were lies, but she didn't.'

Defending, Moses Tawo said: 'She was too scared to admit she had been lying.

'The only person she told the story to was her friend, she never meant for it to be taken to the police and couldn't tell me why she had told lies.

'She has faced some health issues, and when the only relationship she had with anyone ended, she panicked, which she now shows remorse for.'An Australian UFC fighter who broke his hand in the first round of a near-24 minute fight claims he doesn't know how the injury occurred.

Robert Whittaker defeated Cuban wrestler Yoel Romero in an intense five-round bout at UFC 225, at the United Centre in Chicago on Sunday.

Early in the piece, however, things went slightly awry for the New Zealand-born, Sydney-based champ.

'All I really remember is that at some point I couldn't feel anything from my fingertips to my forearm,' said Whittaker, in conversation with The Daily Telegraph.

'And it wasn't coming good.'

Australian UFC fighter Robert Whittaker (pictured: left) broke his hand in the first round of a near-24 minute fight on Sunday - but claims he doesn't know how the injury occurred

Despite his injury, Whittaker went on to defeat Cuban wrestler Yoel Romero in an intense five-round bout at UFC 225, at the United Centre in Chicago

Otherwise known as 'Bobby Knuckles', has damaged his hand in fights before - just never quite as bad as this.

'I've fought with a broken hand previously but this break was much worse,' he said.

'You can see in the X-ray, it's a clean break, not a little fracture in the metacarpal or something like that.'

In spite of the injury - as well as a bruised and swollen face, damaged ankles and a broken tooth - Whittaker went on to win the match by split decision.

'I've fought with a broken hand previously but this break was much worse,' said Whittaker. 'You can see in the X-ray, it's a clean break, not a little fracture in the metacarpal or something like that'

Before the fight, Whittaker was keen to put on a good show to consolidate his already impressive reputation after outpointing Romero in a memorable interim title fight last July.

'Pay attention - on Sunday I'm going to put on fireworks and I'll put on a show,' he said.

'I've been trying to increase my skill sets across the board so come the fight, you're going to see a collective gain of all those which will result in me being better.

Whittaker (pictured: left) also suffered a bruised and swollen face, damaged ankles and a broken tooth

Whittaker was keen to put on a good show to consolidate his already impressive reputation after outpointing Romero in a memorable interim title fight last July

'I'm going to be a better version of me, he had a hard enough time dealing with the first one, we'll see how he handles the second one.'

Fellow Australian fighter Tai 'Bam Bam' Tuivasa defeated Andrei Arlovski on the event's undercard, and celebrated in style with a 'shoey'.

He asked commentator Joe Rogan if he could borrow his shoe to drink out of before finding one in the crowd.

He also walked out to Celine Dion's 'My Heart Will Go On' - the theme from Titanic - as his entrance music.

The western Sydney heavyweight improved his record to 10-0, and is set to move into the top 10 heavyweight rankings.

In the women's division, Holly Holm defeated Australian Megan Anderson via unanimous decision.

#UFC225 Tai Tuivasa wanted to do a shoey with Joe Rogan's shoe but got denied. He did it anyway cageside. pic.twitter.com/2VT4sYxdSV  Chamatkar Sandhu (@SandhuMMA) June 10, 2018



Pope Francis has accepted the resignation of the Chilean bishop at the centre of a child sex abuse scandal that has rocked the Catholic church.

The pontiff accepted the resignation letters of three of the highest figures in the Chilean church on Monday - including the controversial Juan Barros.

All 34 of Chile's bishops had offered to resign last month, but Pope Francis announced only three would be stepping aside - Bishop Juan Barros of Osorno, Bishop Gonzalo Duarte of Valparaiso and Bishop Cristian Caro of Puerto Montt.

Barros, 61, is accused of covering up the crimes of Father Fernando Karadima who was first accused of abusing teenage boys in Chile in 1984.

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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'

The case made international headlines earlier this year after Francis accused Karadima's victims of committing slander and defended Barros for his part in the scandal.

Back in 2015, Francis appointed Juan Barros as a Bishop in the Chilean diocese of Osorno despite the protestations of some of Chile's other bishops.

Barros had previously been accused by Karadima's victims of having witnessed and ignored their abuse - but Francis has allowed him to stay in the top post for three years.

He denied the charge, but was one of the 34 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 in April.

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.

In February 2011 the Vatican found Karadima guilty of sexually abusing minors and psychological abuse.

The 34 Chilean bishops pictured alongside the Pope as they offered to resign in Rome in April

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.

Earlier this month Francis became the first Pope to publicly denounce a 'culture of abuse and cover-up' within the Catholic Church.

He wrote a letter to Chilean followers 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.'Chinese missiles have reappeared on a disputed island in the South China Sea amid rising tensions with the United States.

Satellite images of Woody Island, China's largest base in the Paracel Islands that are also claimed by Vietnam and Taiwan, taken at the beginning of this month showed the missiles had been removed.

But new images taken by Israeli intelligence firm ImageSat International (ISI) on Friday revealed the missiles are back where they were before.

The satellite pictures showing how the missiles disappeared at the end of May only to reappear again

The HQ-9 surface-to-air missile systems were deployed as part of China's militarisation of the South China Sea

ISI said when the HQ-9 surface-to-air missile systems were initially removed it was possible they had simply been redeployed to another island, or moved as part of a drill.

Experts were doubtful the launchers had been permanently removed, suggesting they may have been sent for maintenance.

'Due to the corrosive effects of salt and humidity in the islands, must be removed and sent back to the mainland for maintenance periodically,' said Timothy Heath, a senior defence analyst at the Rand Corporation told CNN.

Tensions have been rising between the United States and China over its militarisation of the South China Sea.

At the end of last month the Pentagon withdrew its invitation for China to participate in a multinational naval exercise the U.S. is hosting this summer, which it said was a response to the expansion of the Chinese military capability in the area.

Last week the US sent two nuclear-capable B-52 bombers to fly over the disputed Spratly Islands, south of Woody Island.

Experts were skeptical that the Chinese had permanently removed the missiles, suspecting that they had been sent for maintenance

The Chinese air force recently landed a strategic bomber on Woody Island (pictured), which lies in a disputed part of the South China Sea

It is also reported to be considering sending warships to the Taiwan Strait and stepping up naval patrols in the South China Sea.

Washington warned that Beijing would face unspecified 'consequences' over its militarisation of the South China Sea.

The Chinese air force recently landed an H-6K long-range strategic bomber on Woody Island.

With a combat radius of nearly 1,900 nautical miles, the H-6K bomber would put all of Southeast Asia in its range from the island.

Farther south in the Spratly group of islands, China has constructed seven man-made islands and equipped them with runways, hangers, radar and missile stations, further cementing its vast territorial claims in the busy waterway.

China' claims nearly all the South China Sea and has ignored counter-claims from the Philippines, Vietnam, Taiwan, Brunei and Malaysia to various parts of the area.

Its claim has been a source of friction with the United States and its allies, who regularly sail warships through the South China Sea in a bid to assert freedom navigation rights.

Beijing reasserted last week reasserted its right to build 'defence' facilities in the disputed zone.

A flyby of bombers prompted the China's Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying to warn the U.S.against 'hyping up militarization and stirring up trouble'.The man who shot a Florida police officer while holding four children hostage inside an apartment after allegedly beating his girlfriend has been identified by authorities.

Gary Wayne Lindsey Jr, 35, a felon who is now on probation for arson and other crimes, is currently in a standoff with police in Orlando.

The incident began at about 11.45pm Sunday, when the woman left her apartment and told officers that she had been assaulted by her boyfriend, Lindsey.

The officers went back to the woman's home in the Westbrook Apartments, located near the Universal Orlando theme park in Orlando, Florida.

While attempting to arrest Lindsey, he and police exchanged gunfire.

One of the officers was shot by the man, but it was unclear to authorities if the man was shot during the volley.

Police said Lindsey has now taken four children  ages one, seven, 10 and 12  hostage and has barricaded himself inside the apartment with them.

The injured officer was taken to Orlando Regional Medical Center, where he underwent surgery.

Gary Wayne Lindsey Jr, 35, a felon who is now on probation for arson and other crimes, is currently in a standoff with police in Orlando

The scene outside the Orlando apartment complex where Lindsey allegedly shot a police officer and is now holding four children, under 13, hostage

Orlando Police chief John Mina (center) said the officer was seriously injured during the Sunday night shootout with the suspect and required surgery, but is expected to live

Photos from outside the Westbrook Apartments following the incident reveal multiple Orlando police cruisers arriving on the scene where a fellow officer was shot at about 11.45pm Sunday

The shooting and hostage situation took place at the Westbrook Apartments in Orlando. A SWAT team is on site, attempting to negotiate with Lindsey

Orlando police supporting each other outside the hospital where the police officer was taken for surgery after sustaining serious injury during the shootout with the man

His wound was deemed a 'very serious, significant injury,' but he is expected to survive, according to Orlando Police Chief John Mina, who briefed media about the incident early Monday morning.

'Our main concern is the safety of the children in that apartment,' Mina said.

Mina said that a SWAT team is on site and has been trying to negotiate with the man. So far, SWAT has spoken with the man a few times, but he has also hung up on them a few times, according to the Orlando Sentinel.

'Hopefully he peacefully surrenders,' Mina said.

Officers evacuated residents of the complex in the middle of the night.

Some were milling around nearby restaurant parking lots on Monday morning, still wearing pajamas.

Police have not released the name of the man or the wounded officer. The suspect's relationship to the children was not stated yet either.Heathrow security guard Farhan Iqbal has been jailed over a cocaine smuggling plot

A Heathrow airport security officer has been jailed after helping a Colombian smuggle 10 kilos of cocaine into the UK to fund his gambling addiction.

Farhan Iqbal was handed a 13-year sentence after turning up to work in his uniform on a sick day to take part in the drugs trafficking plot.

Judge Jane Sullivan told him: 'You were the linchpin of this whole conspiracy, it could not have happened without you.

'I also found that you were expecting substantial amounts of money, far higher than your salary, to fund your gambling addiction.

'You used your job at Heathrow as a cover and betrayed your employers.'

Two other men, courier Camilo Suarez and Wilmer Salazar-Duarte, were jailed for five years, three months and seven years, six months respectively.

Alexander Salazar-Duarte, 46, the older brother of Wilmer, is believed to have been the ring leader and his due to be sentenced later.

CCTV footage showed Iqbal arriving at work in his uniform despite having called in sick

Around 10kg of cocaine was brought into the country, worth an estimated 1.2million

Blackfriars Crown Court heard the total street value of the drugs brought into the country was more than 1.2 million.

Iqbal arrived at Heathrow Terminal 3 on 23 November 2017 dressed in his uniform despite being on sick leave.

He made his way to the toilets in Terminal 5 where he met with Suarez and handed him a Wilkinson Sword razor blade to cut the drugs out of the luggage bag.

Officers from the National Crime Agency then arrested Iqbal with the cocaine.

When police raided Iqbal's flat in Ealing they found evidence of a previous successful importation of cocaine from September of that year.

National Crime Agency senior investigating officer Mark Abbott said: 'Iqbal played a crucial role in the organised crime group and used his insider knowledge and privileged access to the airport to enable the drugs transfer.

'It was a real betrayal of his colleagues and employer and this type of corruption really threatens the security of the UK border and public which is why we see it as a priority'

Wilmer Salazar-Duarte and courier Camilo Suarez were both jailed over the plot

Wilmer Salazar-Duarte, who took part under orders from his brother, got seven and a half years

Iqbal had worked at Heathrow as a security officer since February 2008, earning around 31,000 a year.

He was also served with a serious crime prevention order that bans him from working at a port for five years after his release date.

Iqbal, Ealing, west London, denied conspiracy to import cocaine but was convicted by a jury.

Wilmer and Alexander Salazar-Duarte, both of Wanstead, east London both admitted cospiracy to import cocaine.

Camilo Suarez, of Bogata, Columbia, admitted importing cocaine.Britain's new 120million F-35 Lightning warplanes are being guarded only by a 5ft picket fence, it has been claimed.

The four supersonic aircraft arrived last week at RAF Marham in Norfolk, but a section at the end of the runway is said to be protected just by the low fence.

Directions on reaching the point have allegedly been posted online, although the rest of the base in the countryside is protected by 18ft barbed-wire fences.

A Tornado jet takes off from RAF Marham in Norfolk today in front of the 5ft picket fence

Directions on reaching the point of the fence at Marham have allegedly been posted online

It is the latest chapter in the troubled history of the F-35 project, whose spiralling costs have made it the most world's most expensive weapons system.

Former SAS hero Robin Horsfall told The Sun: 'A team of commandos could get over that fence and destroy all the jets in one night.

'This is another reflection of the poor standards and lack of investment in armed forces.

'The Ministry of Defence hasn't got the troops to defend the airfield or the money to put in fences.'

RAF Marham can be seen over the small picket fence in the Norfolk countryside today

The section at the end of the runway at RAF Marham is said to be protected just by a low fence

Last Wednesday, four of the F-35 Lightning warplanes touched down on UK soil for the first time, having been stationed in America since their manufacture.

The aircraft, which had been based at US Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, South Carolina, are being tested and used for training by RAF and Royal Navy pilots.

Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson has described them as 'formidable fighters' which are set to keep the country safe from the 'gravest of dangers'.

Britain currently has 15 F-35Bs  the short take-off and vertical landing variant of the jets  and has pledged to purchase 138 in total from Lockheed Martin.

An F-35 Lightning jet arrives at RAF Marham in Norfolk last Wednesday, one of the first four from the reformed 617 'Dambusters' Squadron to arrive in the UK from the US

The four F-35 jets arrive at RAF Marham last Wednesday after flying over from South Carolina

Later this year F-35 flight trials will take place off HMS Queen Elizabeth - seeing British pilots fly jointly owned test jets, currently based in Maryland, off the deck.

A further five jets will join the others at Marham by the end of July and the beginning of August, to make up the recently reformed historic 617 'Dambusters' squadron.

An RAF spokesman told MailOnline today: 'As a matter of policy neither the RAF nor the MoD discuss security measures at our units.

'However, we can confirm that security measures in place are robust and multi-layered and are not solely dependent on perimeter fencing.'The 19-year-old woman who was kidnapped at birth from a Florida hospital has revealed she still 'loves' the woman who raised her and continues to call her 'mom'.

Kamiyah Mobley made these revelations and more in her first interview since 52-year-old Gloria Williams was sentenced to 18 years in prison on Friday.

Since the woman who raised her was arrested last year, Mobley says they continue to speak several times a week on the phone from jail.

Kamiyah Mobley (pictured), the 19-year-old woman who was kidnapped at birth, has spoken out for the first time since her captor was sentenced to prison on Friday

Gloria Williams, 52, was sentenced to 18 years in prison after she kidnapped Mobley just hours after she was born in July 1998

Mobley, left, is pictured above with Williams, who raised her as her own in South Carolina

'We actually talked today. I still do call her "Mom,"' Mobley told ABC News.

And the relationship is still very much mother-daughter.

'Oh yeah, she calls and still gets on me. Yes, she does,' Mobley added.

Mobley was just a few hours old in July 1998 when Williams snatched her from a Jacksonville, Florida maternity ward.

Williams had suffered a miscarriage a month before and drove Mobley to South Carolina where she passed her off as her own.

Mobley's biological mother, Shanara Mobley, was just 16 years old when her daughter was ripped from her. She and the teen's father, Craig Aiken, never stopped looking for their daughter, though they eventually split up.

Mobley, center, reunited with her biological parents, Craig Aiken (right) and Shanara Mobley (left), in January after it was revealed she was living a lie

A sketch of the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office showed the sketch of Williams after the newborn went missing

Mobley says she's visited her biological parents and siblings several times since Williams was arrested last year.

'I've gone to Florida several times ... and I call them. We talk almost every day,' she said.

She added: 'I like it. It's new people who act just like you, they look just like you. It's almost just like extended family. You know, that's really what it feels like.'

However, Mobley she continues to live in Williams' home in South Carolina and says she looks forward to the day she is released from prison. Mobley says she thinks Williams' sentence of 18 years in prison was 'fair,' despite her biological mom telling DailyMail.com that she hoped the woman would be executed.

Mobley says she's glad that the trial is over.

'I actually got closure now,' she said. 'Everything is done. No more court. No more back and forth.'

She says she looks forward to the day that Williams is released from prison. She says she realizes people don't understand how she can maintain a relationship with the woman who raised her, but she doesn't care. She says Williams was a good mother to her.

Williams had miscarried a child a week before but had kept it a secret from her parents and two sons Antoine and Andre (pictured) then aged 10 and 11, before kidnapping Kamiyah

'She was very open to all my friends I brought through that door,' Mobley said. 'She was one of those mothers, she was like open to sleepovers, open to company. Always smiling, always upbeat, up-tempo about everything. Very hard working, very hard working. She was actually getting her master's [degree] before she was incarcerated.'

Mobley, who graduated from high school in 2016, says she's been busy starting her new life - doing paperwork, getting her social security number, birth certificate and studying for her driver's license. She says she hopes to go to college someday.

'Who wants to sit around and be sad all day?' she said. 'I mean, it doesn't help anything. It's not going to change anything. I learned that a long time ago."'A man who robbed a service station with a knife he claimed was infected with AIDS will serve his five-year sentence on home detention.

Thomas James Vanderaa, 24, approached the counter of the 24-hour service station in the suburb of Hillbank, north Adelaide in November 2015 and handed a note to the attendant.

'This knife has AIDS,' it read.

'This knife has HIV(+) blood on it. Don't touch the alarm until I'm outside. I don't want to hurt you.'

A man who robbed a service station with a knife he claimed was infected with AIDS will serve his five-year sentence on home detention, as he was deemed to be mentally unstable at the time

Thomas James Vanderaa, 24, approached the counter of the 24-hour service station in the suburb of Hillbank, north Adelaide in November 2015 and handed a note to the attendant

Vanderaa fled on foot - oblivious to the fact that the service station attendant had triggered a silent alarm, Adelaide Now reports.

Police later found the armed robber's discarded jacket, with the note still inside the sleeve, and subsequently arrested him.

Vanderaa pleaded guilty to attempted aggravated robbery, facing a maximum sentence of 12 years behind bars.

But District Court Judge Paul Cuthbertson speculated that heavy use of methamphetamines might have exacerbated a schizophrenia or bipolar disorder in the 24-year-old, who seemed to be mentally unstable at the time of the robbery.

'This knife has AIDS,' it read. 'This knife has HIV(+) blood on it. Don't touch the alarm until I'm outside. I don't want to hurt you'

'The incompetence in the execution of the offence tends to suggest it is the product of a befuddled mental state,' said Judge Cuthbertson.

'The best way to ensure that the conduct is not repeated is to cure the defendant of his mental condition.'

It was further noted that Vanderaa had 'little in the way of prior offending and ... this rather serious offence occurs out of the blue'.

Judge Cuthbertson ultimately ruled that Vanderaa could serve his five year sentence on home detention, with a non-parole period of two-and-a-half years.

His lenient sentence is granted on the condition that he abstain from illicit drugs and alcohol and undergo counselling.Advertisement

The high school sweetheart and ex-husband of Real Housewives of New York star Tinsley Mortimer said 'I do' on Saturday to shoe designer and Vogue editor Tabitha Simmons.

Topper Mortimer and Simmons were married at the Church of the Resurrection in Manhattan, with a small group of friends and family in attendance.

It is the second marriage for Simmons, who was previously married to photographer Craig McDean, with whom she has two young sons Dylan and Elliot.

The boys were by their mother's side for the ceremony, standing at the altar as she exchanged vows with Mortimer in an alta moda creation from her favorite design house, Dolce & Gabbana.

Mortimer said 'I do' for the third time, having twice married his ex Tinsley when her parents forced the two to annul their teenage elopement and get married in a more formal ceremony a few years later.

His father joined him at the altar.

Simmons and Mortimer have been dating since 2014, and in January welcomed their first child together, daughter Violet Elizabeth.

Scroll down for video

They did: Tabitha Simmons and Topper Mortimer were married on Saturday in Manhattan, just five months after welcoming their daughter Violet (couple above)

Party time: They have been dating since 2014 and hosted guests at the bar Dorrian's after the ceremony, which is popular among the city's private school alumni (couple above at their reception)

Dress: Simmons wore a gown by Dolce & Gabbana and her own shoes for the ceremony (above) before changing into a second Dolce & Gabbana look after the nuptials

A-list pals: Guests included Liv Tyler, Karen Elson, Lily Aldridge, Sienna Miller, Tory Burch, Theo Wenner, stylist Katie Grand, Hamish Bowles, and Guy Oseary (l to r: Tyler, Miller and Elson)

Exes: Mortimer was married to Real Housewives star Tinsley Mortimer (left in 2006) twice prior to Simmons, while the stylist was married to photographer Craig McDean (right in 2006)

'What a very special day thank you to everyone that came to celebrate with us !! Thank you @dolcegabbana @Stefanogabbana for my beautiful dress. I love you all so much especially you [Mortimer],' wrote Simmons on Instagram after the ceremony on Saturday.

She also shared a photo of herself and her new groom walking down the aisle after exchanging vows.

Guests at the ceremony included actresses Sienna Miller and Liv Tyler, models Karen Elson and Lily Aldridge and designer Tory Burch, who opened up her Southhampton home for the couple's engagement party last August.

Moda Operandi founder Lauren Santo Domingo, who hosted the engagement party, was also on hand, as was event planner Bronson van Wyck, photographer Theo Wenner, stylist Katie Grand, Hamish Bowles, and Guy Oseary with wife Michelle Alves.

After the ceremony, guests headed a few blocks uptown to Dorrian's for the reception, with the bride changing into a second Dolce & Gabbana look before joining her betrothed at the bar favored by the alumni of Manhattan's private schools.

Tinsley posted an old photo of herself in a black skirt and boots on Saturday

It is also the bar that 'preppy killer' Robert Chambers was at with his victim Jennifer Levin in 1986 before he strangled her in Central Park.

Simmons wore a headpiece with a unicorn horn for her first dance with Mortimer, with both members of the couple wearing sashes that said 'Just Married.'

As for her footwear, Simmons went with her very own Tie the Knot heels in white satin, which retail for $895.

A photo posted to Instagram also showed Simmons with a pair of 'Bride' glasses before the two cut into their wedding cake, which featured a drawing of the New York City skyline.

It was a yellow cake with vanilla buttercream made by Chefanie, who decorated the celebratory confection with the illustration from the couple's invitation.

Two nights prior, Simmons had her bachelorette party with pals including Elson, with the group having a run-in with actor Kyle MacLachlan that the model posted to social media.

Grand also posted a video from the evening that showed herself and the bride-to-be performing a choreographed dance at Puffy's Tavern in Tribeca.

Simmons then spent the night before her wedding at the swank Carlyle Hotel, just two blocks from the church.

Simmons was joined at the altar by her two sons while Mortimer had his father by his side

Simmons and Mortimer followed up their ;lavish ceremony with a low-key reception

Models Elson and Lily Aldridge with Simmons close friend Liv Tyler

Simmons and Mortimer were engaged last year and celebrated the new with a party at the home of designer Tory Burch

The designer wore her own $895 Tie the Knot satin heels on her wedding day

Mortimer's family members inclduing sister Minnie and half-brother Peter Davis attended the ceremony

Mortimer's trip down the aisle came eight years after he divorced wife Tinsley.

Tinsley was one of the biggest names on the Manhattan society scene in the early and mid aughts, having moved to the city to attend college at Columbia where she earned a degree in art history.

She transferred from to the prestigious Ivy League university from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in order to be closer to Mortimer.

Tinsley, who grew up in Richmond, Virginia, met Mortimer while the two attended the prestigious Lawrenceville School in New Jersey.

The two eloped when they were just 18, but Tinsley's parents - real estate investor George and interior designer Dale - forced her to annul the marriage. They wed again in May 2002 in Tinsley's hometown of Richmond.

Reports that the two had split began to circulate in early 2009 and the pair divorced a year later.

Simmons had her bachelorette party just two nights before her wedding, where she and Elson ran into Kyle MacLachlan i

Simmons posted a photo of the couple's daughter Violet in March and a custom necklace back in August when the two were first engaged

Simmons has styled shows for a number of big names, including Keren Craig and Georgina Chapman of Marchesa (l to r: Chapman, Simmons and Craig in February 2016)

There were also allegations that Tinsley had begun a relationship with a member of German royalty, Prince Casimir Wittgenstein-Sayn, while still married to Mortimer.

Mortimer is heir to the Standard Oil fortune thanks to his grandfather Henry Morgan Tilford, who was a president at the company. His family can trace their routes back to John Jay, author of the Federalist Papers.

He is the son of magazine editor Senga Mortimer and brother of designer Minnie Mortimer, who is married to Oscar-winning writer Stephen Gaghan.

Minnie attended the ceremony on Saturday, sharing pictures of herself with the bride and her half-brother Peter Davis.

Mortimer dated Vogue editor Valerie Booster before hooking up with Simmons in 2014.

Tinsley had moved down to Palm Beach by then, but after she and her ex finalized their divorce paired up with briefly-famous faces including former American Idol contestant Constantine Maroulis and Prince Lorenzo Borghese, who was on the ninth season of The Bachelor.

She was also in a relationship with sugar heir Nico Fanjul which ended with allegations of abuse from both members of the couple.

Once the two called it quits for good, Tinsley moved back to New York and landed a spot on the Bravo show.

She was not at the festivities on Saturday, but did post a photo of herself in a black mini skirt and thigh-high boots.A Kentucky woman and her boyfriend have been arrested after her fiance's body was found buried in a shallow grave.

Lisa Harvey, 50, and Rick Fisher, 43, were arrested Saturday evening and charged with murder after Hardin County police received an anonymous tip of a possible homicide.

When officers arrived to the Elizabethtown home, they found 'freshly disturbed dirt' in the wooded area near the house.

Lisa Harvey, 50, and boyfriend Rick Fisher, 43, were arrested Saturday and charged with murder after police found the body of her fiance buried in a shallow grave

Cadaver dogs were then brought in to assess the area.

'The dogs alerted to the disturbed ground ... after just a few inches of dirt was removed, a body was discovered,' Hardin County Sheriff John Ward said.

The body was that of Harvey's fiance, whose name hasn't been released.

According to an arrest report, Fisher was found 'sweating heavily' as he exited the wooded area where the body was found.

They were arrested after police arrived to a Elizabethtown, Kentucky home and found 'freshly disturbed dirt' nearby

Cadaver dogs then found the body of the man under a couple inches of dirt. The arrest reports says Harvey helped her boyfriend murder her fiance

The arrest reports adds that Harvey helped her boyfriend murder her fiance.

The two also gave police conflicting stories.

An autopsy will be conducted Monday.

Fisher and Harvey were arrested and are behind bars at Hardin County Detention Center.A 14-year-old boy has been arrested after five young people were injured in a shooting at a teenager's birthday party in Indianapolis.

The shooting happened Saturday night just after 10.30pm at the clubhouse of the Lawrence Lions Club.

Police in Lawrence responded after a fight between two people at the party escalated into a fight between two groups in which several shots were fired.

Daron Johnson, 14, was identified by his family as the teen in critical condition after he was shot in the face.

A 14-year-old boy has been arrested after five young people were injured in a shooting at a teenager's birthday party in Indianapolis. First responders work the scene of the shooting

Authorities said Daron Johnson, 14, is in critical condition after being shot in the face. Another 14-year-old was shot in the torso and is in stable condition

Daron Johnson (pictured), 14, was identified by his family as the teen in critical condition after he was shot in the face

The teen was arrested Sunday morning on charges of criminal recklessness with a deadly weapon and minor possession of a weapon.

He was then taken to a juvenile detention center. Police are still trying to determine whether anyone else fired shots.

Police initially reported four young people ages 13 and 14 were hurt, but later determined a fifth was taken to a hospital by family members.

Another 14-year-old was shot in the torso and is in stable condition.

The other three victims had non-life threatening injuries to the hands, legs or body.

Officers from the Lawrence Police Department said there were as many as 70 people inside the building at the time of the shooting, including numerous parents.

The shooting remains under investigation.

Daron's teachers set up a GoFundMe account to help with his medical expenses.

'As his teachers, we have grown to know and care for Daron and want to support him and his family any way we can,' his teachers wrote.

'All donations received will go towards Darons medical expenses and any other expenses his family may face during Darons recovery,' they added.The mother of a boy suffering from severe epilepsy who tried to 'smuggle' cannabis oil into the UK to keep him alive has begged the Home Office to return the confiscated medication.

Charlotte Caldwell flew into the Heathrow Airport today with a consignment of the banned oil from Canada which she insists helps her 12-year-old son Billy cope with his condition.

But British customs officers seized the oil this afternoon, which Ms Caldwell believes may well to turn out to be 'a death sentence' for her son.

Charlotte Caldwell had banned cannabis oil she brought to the UK to treat her son Billy seized today at Heathrow. She later met minister Nick Hurd at the Home Office to discuss the case

The mother, from Northern Ireland, spoke of her devastation after the medicinal cannabis she uses to treat Billy was taken from her today.

She said: 'Weve been awake now for more than 40 hours, weve had a long and exhausting day.

'It started with my son's life saving medication being taken by a customs officer and ended without resolution today.

'Those meds were prescribed by the worlds biggest Pediatric hospital - they know what they are doing.

'I was horrified when they were taken from me.

'It may well to turn out to be a death sentence for my son.'

Ms Caldwell added: 'Nothing they could offer me could left me feeling the devastation or the urgency of the situation.

'I need another plan - I would rather have my son illegally alive than legally dead.'

Ms Caldwell has vowed to return to Toronto and keep trying to bring the treatment to the UK.

She said: 'It's a very sad day in 2018 that us parents who have children with this absolutely brutal condition, epilepsy, that we have to flee our own country to get medicine for our children.'

Asked what she would do next, she replied: 'I'll just go back to Canada and I'll get more because my son has a right to have his anti-epileptic medicine in this country.'

She described the customs officers who seized the oil as 'absolute gentlemen', adding: 'They were very conflicted about removing it, one of them had tears in his eyes.'

She was not cautioned by border officials, Sky News reported.

The families of eight other children with epilepsy who are supporting her campaign met her at the airport to show their support.

Ms Caldwell insisted they would continue campaigning to have the oil made available in Britain.

She said: 'We will not stop, we are not going to stop. We are not going to give up. We have love, hope and faith for our kids. We are going to get the medicine for our children so they might as well give it to us.

'I'm horrified that they have removed it.'

Ms Caldwell and her epileptic son Billy at Heathrow today, after customs officers seized cannabis oil she says he should be given in the UK to treat his condition

Ms Caldwell, pictured at Heathrow with her son today, said she will return to Canada for the oil

Billy became the first patient in Britain to be prescribed cannabis-based medication on the NHS after enduring up to 100 seizures a day and routinely ending up in hospital.

He was originally given the treatment by a doctor in the US, where it is legal in the majority of states. Ms Caldwell said it rapidly stopped Billy's seizures and drastically improved his quality of life.

But the single mother from Castlederg, County Tyrone, was left distraught last month when the Home Office told her family doctor to stop doling out the drug or face suspension or withdrawal of their licence to practise.

Ms Caldwell insists the oil dramatically improves her son's condition and wants him to be given the treatment in the UK

She said today that she is planning to meet Home Office minister Nick Hurd later today to discuss her son's case.

She added: 'It's Billy's anti-epileptic medication that Nick Hurd has taken away, it's not some sort of joint full of recreational cannabis, it is his anti-epileptic medication that he has taken off me at the airport today.'

She later met Mr Hurd at the Home Office on Monday afternoon to plead to him 'parent to parent' to get the oil back.

After the meeting, she said Mr Hurd had not returned the oil but said he would offer her 'a solution' by 5pm, when she would give a further statement.

Ms Caldwell gave up a career in the tourism industry shortly after Billy was born.

Her relationship with Billy's father fell apart around the time the boy's epilepsy became evident when he was four months old.

Recalling that time to the Mail On Sunday's Ian Birrell, she said: 'I just felt powerless and sick in my heart... he was having hundreds of seizures a day and they could not get them under control.'

After doctors told her they could do no more for the boy, she raised 250,000 in just ten weeks to fund treatment in Chicago.

She spent two years living there as her son was given intensive physiotherapy to boost his development.

She had been back and forth to the US trying to ensure her son gets the treatment he needs

When the cash ran out, she borrowed 25,000 from a bank to pay for private treatment and moved to Oxfordshire.

When the epilepsy returned two years ago, Ms Caldwell raised more cash and returned to her US doctor, who had moved to a Los Angeles hospital.

He discussed the concept of medical cannabis, sent her to a specialist and eventually they found the correct dosage to stop the seizures.

After eight months in California, funds dried up again. The pair returned to Northern Ireland.

In April last year, her GP to prescribe cannabis oil, supplied by an American company  until the Government warning last month to stop.Beijing's most powerful nuclear missile could be ready to enter service.

Quoting a military expert, China's state-run newspaper People Daily claimed that the Dongfeng-41, or DF-41, was ready to be commissioned.

China reportedly conducted the 10th flight test of the intercontinental ballistic missile last month, which is said to be capable of striking anywhere in the world with up to 10 nuclear warheads.

The news came as tensions between Beijing and Washington escalated over South China Sea.

DF-41 (pictured), China's next-generation intercontinental ballistic missile, could strike anywhere in the world and is said to be ready for service, according to China's state media

A previous programme from China's state broadcaster shows multiple DF-41 missiles

Reports claimed DF-41 has a range of at least 7,500 miles and could carry up to 10 warheads. An animation released by China's state TV showed the apparent structure inside the missile

DF-41 is said to have the longest range of any ballistic rockets in the world.

The missile is 16.5 meters (54 feet) long with a diameter of 2.78 meters (9.1 feet). It's said to have a range of at least 7,500 miles (12,000km) and with striking accuracy within 100 metres (328 feet).

The new missile also has a speed of more than Mach 10 (7,672mph) and can use decoy devices to find it way through the enemy's missile defence systems.

People's Daily, the mouth-piece of China's Communist Party, published the report on Friday.

The report was titled 'DF-41 has reached the standard of deployment and is among the most powerful missiles in the world, says expert'.

Shao Yongling, a Chinese military expert, says DF-41 could be ready to be deployed already

Four days earlier, American website Washington Free Beacon reported that China carried out the 10th flight test of DF-41 on May 27 at the Taiyuan Space Launch Centre, quoting a Pentagon source.

DF-41: WHAT WE KNOW Dongfeng-41 missile, or DF-41, is said to have the longest range of any ballistic rockets in the world. It has undergone its eighth test and is now near completion, according to state-run media. The missile is 16.5 meters (54 feet) long with a diameter of 2.78 meters (9.1 feet). Previous reports have claimed that the missile has a range of at least 7,500 miles (12,000km) and could carry up to 10 nuclear warheads. The warhead is set to be inducted by the People's Liberation Army (PLA) in 2018 after first being introduced in 2012, the report from China's state-run Global Times suggests. Reports suggest the missile's most recent test took place this month. State-run media claim the tests took place in its Western desert area but the exact location of these tests has not been revealed. Advertisement

The report said the missile flew overland several thousand miles to an impact zone in the Gobi Desert in far-flung Western China.

Chinese military expert Shao Yongling told People's Daily that if the claims of the 10th test proved to be true, it would mean that DF-41 is ready to be deployed.

Shao's opinion was echoed by another Chinese military expert Song Zhongping, who was interviewed by Global Times.

Beijing has yet to confirm or deny the claims of the flight test.

DF-41 has been developed to rival the sixth-generation missiles from the West, such as the American LGM-30 Minuteman and the Russian RT-2PM2, according to a previous report on People's Daily.

Last November, China Central Television Station said DF-41 was likely to enter service in the first half of 2018. The report quoted Yang Chengjun, a Chinese expert on missile technologies and nuclear warfare strategy.

'The missile can hit any corner of the earth, allowing China to counter a nuclear strike on the country,' Yang said.

In the same report, the Chinese state broadcaster aired rare footage of the missile. Footage shows the powerful weapon being transported and launched in disclosed desert-like locations.

China has claimed to own about 2,500 ballistic missiles.A wild python had to regurgitate five whole chickens in a bid to avoid being caught by villagers in south-east China.

The non-venomous snake was found in a sty and dragged out in front of the farm before it was caught pushing its prey out of its stomach on camera.

Police were alerted to the scene and released the python back to the nature.

A giant python is dragged out of a sty in southeast China before it starts to regurgitate its prey (left). It pushes its stomach and forces itself to get the chickens out (right)

Villagers at Meizhou in Guangdong Province noticed a snake with a huge bulge in its stomach hiding in a sty on the afternoon of June 8.

They dragged the snake out of the shed and the python started to regurgitate, a policeman was quoted as saying in Pear, a Chinese video sharing platform.

The bloated serpent opened it mouth and twitched its body as it coaxed its prey out of the stomach.

As many as five dead chickens were pushed out of the python's mouth, the video showed.

Shocked villagers can be heard counting the chickens as they gathered around the snake.

The serpent slithered away and went into the bush.

The bloated serpent twitches its body and wiggles on the ground as villagers stand close and watch (left). It regurgitates five whole chickens before slithering into the bush (right)

According to China's list of endangered species, pythons are considered as grade one protected species in the country.

The snake's action is seen as a self-defence as it has to be agile to escape or attack opponents when it is under duress, stated National Geographic.

Herpetology curator Max Nickerson at the Florida Museum of Natural History explained the swallowing of prey can make the snakes less mobile and regurgitation would be a way for them to move quicker when under harassed.A man in Oklahoma faces 65 years in jail after being convicted of manufacturing child pornography when he provided drugs to female party guests and took nude pictures of them to post online.

However, during trial last week, one of the man's victims said that she is currently dating the accused and testified in his defense, according to reports.

For years, Clifford Eugene Williams, now 30, would get his female guests drunk at his parties, while supplying them with drugs including Xanax, a sedative.

He would then take the victims into a 'pass out room', where he would undress them and take photos of them to post online. Three of the six victims were under the age of 18 at the time of the offences.

Clifford Eugene Williams, 30, from Midwest City faces 65 years in jail after being convicted of providing drugs to young female party guests and taking nude pictures of them to post online

During a trial last week, prosecutors accused Williams of hosting parties at his Midwest City residence - known as 'the party house' - between 2009 and 2013, according to Oklahoma news site NewsOK.

Guests would attend the party to drink alcohol and do drugs on most weekends, according to the report citing the testimony.

A spare bedroom at the house was known as the 'designated pass out room', where unconscious guests would rest in after consuming liquor and drugs supplied by Williams, who once called himself the 'Xanax monster'.

Prosecutors said that he would then undress the unsuspecting guests and photograph them while they remained passed out and post the images online. The illicit images have been shared across dozens of pornographic websites.

They called his actions 'crimes of opportunity'.

Williams was only caught because a man looking at a pornographic website in late 2013 stumbled upon a video of his own wife, according to the report.

The victim appeared unconscious and was being illicitly touched by the person behind the camera.

After seeing the video, the wife immediately recognized a black and red star tattoo on the left hand of the person sexually assaulting her - the same tattoo that Williams had.

Williams initially denied knowledge about the photos and video. He later changed his story, telling police detectives another man forced him at gunpoint to perform the act, according to the report.

One of the victims said she woke up with Xanax pills in her mouth after a party (file photo)

However, that same victim had been reportedly dating Williams after accepting his version of events. She testified in his defense, saying that she believed he was innocent.

Jurors remained unconvinced - they convicted the man of three counts of manufacturing child pornography, three counts of taking clandestine photographs, one count of second-degree rape by instrumentation and one count of publishing child pornography, according to the report.

The guilty verdicts involved six victims. Three were under the age of 18 at the time of the offences.

Five of the victims had attended Williams' parties. Another victim's nude photos were taken during webcam chats with him, prosecutors said.

One of the victims, who was a minor at the time, testified that she went to a few of Williams' parties to drink alcohol and do drugs.

On one occasion, she woke up with Xanax pills in her mouth.

Another victim, who was also a minor, said she woke up one night in the spare bedroom with her clothes 'disheveled'.

The jury heard that when she first saw the nude photos of herself, she realized they had been taken in the 'pass out room'.

On each count, the jury chose punishments of either five or 10 years in prison. At sentencing, District Judge Cindy Truong could order Williams to serve as many as 65 years in prison, the report stated.

At the same time, the jury acquitted Williams of four counts of taking clandestine photographs. Those counts involved a woman who admitted that she lied during a previous hearing in the case. She also reportedly told investigators conflicting stories.A Texas family got the shock of their lives when they opened their bathroom vanity and found a gigantic snake sitting inside.

Bee County Deputy Scotten was called to the scene where she expertly removed the non-poisonous Blue Indigo snake hiding in the back of the vanity on Saturday.

Pictures of Scotten in action see her remove the creature with her hands and show off the animal as she holds onto its neck and tail, smiling unnerved by the slithering creature in her hands.

Bee County Deputy Scotten captured a Blue Indigo snake hiding in a Texas bathroom vanity

She removed the non-poisonous snake hiding in the back of the vanity using her hands

She didn't seem to use a snake stick lying next to her on the floor as she reached into the furniture.

The Blue Indigo snake was not harmed and was released into nearby brush after capture.

These non-venomous animals, which are a protected species in the state of Texas, are usually between 6.5 to 8.5ft in length and eat venomous snakes.

The Bee County Sheriff's office shared pictures of the removal online where they hailed her as a hero saying 'Good job Deputy Scotten'.

The post has gone viral with more than 1,000 shares.

The Bee County Sheriff's Office praised her for her expert capture, adding the creature was released into the wild afterwards

A concerned family member held a flashlight to the furniture as Scotten got on her knees to pick up the snake

She didn't even use a snake stick lying next to her, preferring to use her hands to coax out the snake

A job well done! She posed with an adorable child of the home after the snake capture

'There has been an increase in snake calls this year due to the weather and residents are encouraged to be aware of their surroundings,' the sheriff's office warned.

Fans of the post have praised Scotten for her brave capture.

'Don't mess with that Deputy. FEARLESS. No way I pick that thing up,' one user wrote.

'Thats bravery. I like snakes but I dont think Id pick one up even if they werent venomous. Thats awesome though,' another wrote.

'Love how a woman removed the snake while the man held the flashlight. Girl power!' another added.

'She is the hero if the day cause I would have burned the house down,' one Facebook user said.North Korean officials have secured all aspects surrounding leader Kim Jong-un's visit to Singapore - from his bullet-proof limousine surrounded by running bodyguards to the use of two decoy airplanes to protecting his stools.

Ahead of Kim's arrival for his historic sit-down with President Donald Trump came an IL-76 transport plane loaded with items to keep Kim safe - his own food supply and a personal portable toilet that 'will deny determined sewer divers insights into to the supreme leader's stools,' reports the Korean news siteChosun Ilbo.

And while that may seem security to the extreme, the CIA and other spy agencies have been known to gather intelligence through feces in the past.

During Mikhail Gorbachev's visit to Washington D.C. in 1987, his decision to stay at the Soviet Embassy instead of Blair House - the residence across the street from the White House where visiting foreign dignitaries are hosted - ended CIA plans to try to collect the Soviet dictator's stools after MI6 failed to collect similar intel during the Gorbachevs' visit to London.

Jack Anderson reported on the attempts in his syndicated column and also wrote that Blair House has at least one toilet with a special collection function.

North Korean officials secured all aspects of leader Kim Jong-Un's security ahead of his arrival in Singapore including the use of two decoy planes and bringing his personal toilet

Kim Jong-Un is said to fear an assignation attempt

Kim's security team brought a personal portable toilet to Singapore that 'will deny determined sewer divers insights into to the supreme leader's stools'

A similar waste-gathering mission was made against King Farouk of Egypt when he visited Monte Carlo.

And French intelligence reportedly had success in collecting a urine sample from Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev.

Retired French spy Alexandre de Marenches told Time magazine in 2001 that 'our people rented the suite under his and dismantled all the plumbing. They intercepted his toilet flushings and sent the samples to Paris for analysis.'

American presidents can enjoy the same personal protection when it comes to their bodily functions.

The Secret Service reportedly brought a portable toilet for then-President George W. Bush's use on his 2006 visit to Austria.

Stools can provide valuable information about a person's health. A doctor can analyze a person's waste to learn about their colon health, the state of their gastrointestinal tract, test for some diseases, and see if they are on any medications.

Additionally, North Korea used two decoy airplanes to leave observers unsure which plane Kim was on.

Three planes took off in North Korea at about an hour's interval on Sunday - an IL-76, an Air China Boeing 747 and an ancient Ilyushin IL62, Chosun Ilbo reported.

Kim arrived on the Air China flight after dispatching the two decoy flights as a diversionary tactic given the leader's fears of assassination during the summit.

Additionally, the North Korean leader brought his running bodyguards toSingapore.

His suit-clad security detail were spotted running alongside his black limousine shortly after he touched down at Changi Airport on Sunday.

Footage showed the bodyguards jogging next to the car, complete with tinted windows and two large North Korean flags fluttering on the hood, as they escorted Kim to the closely guarded St. Regis Hotel where he is staying.

His convoy included more than 20 vehicles, including an ambulance.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un brought his running bodyguards to Singapore on Sunday ahead of his highly-anticipated summit meeting with President Donald Trump

The bodyguards made headlines in April when video emerged of them sprinting next to the leader's car during a landmark meeting with South Korea.

His trip to Singapore is the furthest he has traveled from his home country since assuming the mantle of Supreme Leader.

Kim is said to be concerned that someone will try to assassinate him.

Hours after Kim arrived in Singapore, Trump descended from Air Force One.

He was whisked away to his hotel, driving along a route lined with police and photo-snapping onlookers.

His suit-clad security detail were spotted running alongside his black limousine shortly after the North Korean leader touched down at Changi Airport on Sunday

Footage showed the bodyguards jogging next to the car, complete with tinted windows and two large North Korean flags fluttering on the hood

The car had tinted windows and two large North Korean flags flying from the front

Trump traveled to Singapore from Canada, where he met with other world leaders whose countries make up the Group of Seven.

Kim and Trump are set to meet Tuesday morning in the first summit of its kind between a leader of North Korea and a sitting U.S. president.

The North Korean leader smiled broadly Sunday evening as he met with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.

'The entire world is watching the historic summit between (North Korea) and the United States of America, and thanks to your sincere efforts ... we were able to complete the preparations for the historic summit,' Kim told Lee through an interpreter.

Trump is set to meet with Lee on Monday.

Trump has said he hopes to make a legacy-defining deal for the North to give up its nuclear weapons, though he has recently sought to manage expectations, saying that it may take more than one meeting.

The bodyguards made headlines in April when video emerged of them sprinting next to the leader's car during a landmark meeting with South Korea

Kim Jong-un shook hands with Singapore's Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan when he stepped off the plane at Changi Airport on SundayA road-rage incident in Pennsylvania took a bizarre and revolting turn when state police say one of the drivers defecated on the other.

According to a press release from the Pennsylvania State Police, Henry Weaver, of New Tripoli, got into an argument with another motorist at around 8.45am on Friday at the intersection of routes 309 and 100 in Heidelberg Township.

As the dispute between the pair escalated, Weaver, 69, allegedly went to the bathroom on his adversary.

Henry Weaver is facing a count of harassment after police say he defecated on another driver at the intersection of routes 309 and 100 in Heidelberg Township, Pennsylvania

Weaver is now facing a harassment charge, reported Lehigh Valley Live.

The statement from the state police did not specify what led to the altercation between the suspect and the victim.

Just a few weeks earlier, a woman from Canada was caught on video defecating on the floor of a Tim Horton's eatery in British Columbia and then hurling her waste at a store clerk during a dispute.Natasha Jex, 32, stabbed her 52-year-old husband Neal to death at their home in Wales

A wife who stabbed her husband to death during a drink-fuelled row a week before Christmas has been jailed for eight years.

Natasha Jex, 32, used a kitchen knife to inflict the single, fatal blow to her 52-year-old husband Neal at their home in the Penywaun area of Aberdare, South Wales, on December 17 last year.

Swansea Crown Court heard the pair, who had been together since the defendant was 21 and married in 2011, started to argue as they drove home and the row continued in their house.

The couple were dressed in Christmas jumpers for a boozy party at their local rugby club when Jexs 14-year-old son lost his mobile phone.

The court heard it sparked a row and the couple started 'slagging off each other's children from previous relationships'.

Jex, who told a psychiatrist she had no memory of the incident, went into the kitchen and picked up a knife before stabbing her husband in the chest.

Happy couple: Neil and Natasha Jex had been at a boozy Christmas party together in December when they started arguing on the way home

Their argument got heated when Jexs 14-year-old son lost his mobile phone and the couple started 'slagging off each other's children' from previous relationships

She summoned the emergency services, but they were unable to save Mr Jex.

She was originally charged with murder but pleaded guilty to unlawful act manslaughter on the eve of her trial.

Christopher Quinlan QC, defending, described the case as a tragedy for both Mr Jex's and the defendant's families and had torn them apart.

'That word tragedy is often over-used and misunderstood for what it means,' he said.

Jex, who told a psychiatrist she had no memory of the incident, went into the kitchen and picked up a knife before stabbing her husband in the chest (the married couple dressed as Where's Wally)

Judge Keith Thomas said he did not consider the defendant dangerous and was therefore intending to pass a determinate sentence of imprisonment

'It is a tragedy for Mr Jex's family that will be apart from him.'

Mr Quinlan said Jex's actions were not planned or premeditated and added: 'There is evidence that supports Mrs Jex's account that, putting it neutrally, there was a coming together between them which she had to extricate herself.

She was originally charged with murder but pleaded guilty to unlawful act manslaughter on the eve of her trial

'She left the room and went into the kitchen and didn't leave as sense would have told her to do.

'She told a psychiatrist she has no recollection of what happened once she got into the kitchen. She accepts picking up that knife was unlawful.

'Once she had that knife the fatal injury was inflicted and she must now take the consequences of her actions.

'During that 999 call she is distressed and becomes hysterical when told that he is 'gone'.'

Jailing the mother-of-one for eight years, Judge Keith Thomas said he did not consider the defendant dangerous and was therefore intending to pass a determinate sentence of imprisonment.

'I acknowledge from the outset that no words can properly reflect the sense of loss caused by the premature and violent death of a loved one,' he said.

'Neil Jex was clearly a humorous and well-loved man and his loss is a tragedy.

'It is clear that after both of you had been drinking there was a dispute and you went into the kitchen and picked up a knife and with it inflicted a blow to his chest.

'You deliberately picked up a knife and introduced it into the conflict.

'You did desperately try and obtain medical aid for your dying husband, but he could not be saved.'

The judge added: 'I accept that your remorse is genuine. I take into account all the information that has been put before the court.

'I take into account that you had not intention to kill or cause really serious bodily harm. In the circumstances I reduce the custodial sentence to eight years to take into account your guilty plea.'This is the remarkable moment a defiant woman fights back against Iran's stringent Morality Police after they confronted her about her clothes.

The unnamed woman was caught on camera taking a stand against a gang of agents at the Darzaveh Zowlat metro station in Tehran, Iran.

In the footage she can be seen booting one of three hijab-wearing policewomen after they took issue with her western clothing.

'I will wear whatever I like. It's none of your business. You aren't my parents,' she says in the clip as she chases them down the platform.

The woman can be seen gesturing furiously at the three hijab-wearing female morality police officers

As they get closer together the woman screams at them saying 'I will wear whatever I like'

The enraged member of the public then clatters into the trio, giving one of the officers a vicious kick

The enraged woman then boots one of the officers, sending her running away in fear before screaming at them: 'You've corrupted this society with your ways!'

One of the morality police officers then screams at her - calling her a 'b****'.

Eventually one of the male metro operators decides to intervene to help the woman, telling the morality police: 'You shouldn't intervene.'

This is not the first time the Iranian morality police have been caught on camera trying to enforce strict religious clothing protocol.

Last month, another woman was filmed being brutally beaten by a gang of agents after they deemed her red headscarf 'insufficient' coverage.

While in February Iranian police arrested 29 women for appearing in public without a headscarf as protests as they protested against the dress codes which have been in force since the Islamic revolution of 1979.

In a further show of defiance several Iranian women recently took to social media to pose in public without their headscarves.

Iran's President Hassan Rouhani, a cleric who is considered a moderate within Iran's political system, has previously criticised the morality police for their brutal tactics.

Another policewoman then steps in front of her and tries to push her away while the others scurry away down the platform

One of the metro station's workers then steps in to help the woman as a group of men intervene to keep the peace

The police force's stated mandate is 'promoting virtue and preventing vice.'

But Rouhani warned; 'Grabbing people's collars to promote virtue will not work.

'You cannot do it by being aggressive.'

The hijab and loose-fitting clothing became mandatory for all women in Iran in 1979.

The Islamic code also forbids women touching, dancing or singing with men outside their families.

In Tehran today, some fashionable young women wear tighter clothes with a scarf loosely covering their head, technically meeting the requirements of the law while drawing the ire of conservatives.

Women arrested for showing their hair in public in Iran can receive jail terms of two months or less and face fines equivalent to $25.A pit bull has been hailed a hero after she saved her family from a house fire in California.

Nana Chaichanhda was awaken by her eight-month-old canine companion Sasha around 10pm on June 3.

She said the pup was 'banging and crying at my backyard door' in an attempt to warn her and her seven-month-old daughter about the fire.

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Sasha the pit bull (pictured) has been hailed a hero for saving her family from a house fire (pictured) in California last weekend

Nana Chaichanhda was awaken by her eight-month-old canine companion Sasha around 10pm on June 3. She said the pup was 'banging and crying at my backyard door' in an attempt to warn her and her seven-month-old daughter (both pictured) about the fire

Chaichanhda said the fire (pictured) spread quickly at her fourplex apartment, completely destroying her neighbors' home

Chaichanhda said the fire spread quickly at her fourplex apartment, completely destroying her neighbors' home.

As the fire continued to inch closer to Chaichanhda's apartment, her pooch jumped into action and alerted her from outside of the building.

'Little did I know she was trying to warn us of the fire. I got out of bed to see what was going on. At that moment I opened the back door and Sasha ran into our home, straight into our bedroom,' Chaichanhda explained on GoFundMe.

Chaichanhda said she then realized her cousins' home next door was on fire and she immediately ran into her bedroom.

That's where she witnessed Sasha trying to save her daughter by dragging her off the bed by her diaper.

'Thanks to Sasha we were able to get out safe and call 911. We got everyone out their homes and to safety. I owe Sasha my life and my children's. She saved us all. She is our hero. Without her, we probably would've never made it out,' Chaichanhda said.

Chaichanhda said once she let Sasha (pictured) inside, the dog immediately ran to her baby and tried to drag her to safety (they are pictured together)

Firefighters (pictured) arrived on the scene a short time later and were able to save most of the building

But Chaichanhda's apartment (pictured) was destroyed in the blaze, along with her cousin's home

Firefighters arrived on the scene a short time later and were able to save most of the building.

But Chaichanhda's apartment was destroyed in the blaze, along with her cousin's home.

The family is now staying with relatives who live in one of the surviving apartments.

Chaichanhda established the GoFundMe account in order to raise money to help her and her family get back on their feet after the devastating fire.

She said the funds would also go toward getting clothes, shoes and food for her family and their hero, Sasha.

The family is now staying with relatives who live in one of the surviving apartments. Pictured is some of Chaichanhda's belongings

Chaichanhda established the GoFundMe account in order to raise money to help her and her family get back on their feet. Pictured is the complex from the outsideThe ex-wife of Anthony Bourdain posted a photo of their 11-year-old daughter Ariane performing at a concert over the weekend, just days after the death of her father.

'Our little girl had her concert today. She was amazing. So strong and brave. She wore the boots you bought her. I hope you are having a good trip, wherever you are,' wrote Ottavia Busia.

In the photo, Ariane could be seen singing into a microphone as she stood in front of her band wearing a pair of black platform boots with studs and spikes.

Bourdain, 61, was found hanged in his hotel room on Friday morning by his good friend and fellow chef Eric Ripert.

He had been in Kaysersberg, France shooting an episode of his popular CNN series Parts Unknown at the time, and French authorities have said that the death was a suicide.

Busia and Ariane live in New York City.

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Shining star: Anthony Bourdain's ex-wife Ottavia Busia posted a photo of their 11-year-old daughter Ariana performing at a concert over the weekend (above)

Family: 'Our little girl had her concert today. She was amazing. So strong and brave. She wore the boots you bought her,' wrote Busia (Bourdain, Busia and Ariane in 2016 just after the couple divorced)

Today also spoke with Bourdain's mother Gladys on Monday, who revealed that she last spoke with her son on Mother's Day.

The 81-year-old editor at The New York Times said that Bourdain seemed fine at the time, and she described her son as 'feisty, and very talented.'

Gladys also said that Bourdain was 'a lover of people of all kinds.'

She had previously told the New York Post that her son's body was being held up in France due to red tape, and that Busia was handling everything at this time.

Busia and Bourdain divorced in 2016 after nine years of marriage but remained close, and his ex-wife is handling funeral arrangements and the process of retrieving the chef's body from France.

Busia and Ariane also stand to inherit a bulk of the celebrity chef's estate.

Bourdain opened up about his relationship with Busia in a 2016 interview with The New Yorker.

Bourdain seemed fine the last time he spoke to his mother Gladys (above), who said her son was 'feisty, and very talented.

He was interviewed for the story while shooting the now-famous episode of his CNN series Parts Unknown in Hanoi, Vietnam with President Barack Obama.

There is a good deal of talk about how difficult it was for Bourdain to maintain a relationship because he was always away and working on the show.

Then, in an email to the writer of the story a few months after the interview, he said the the two were calling it quits, writing: 'Its not much of a change of lifestyle, as we have lived separate lives for many years. More of a change of address.'

He went on to write, jokingly: 'Shes an interesting woman. I admire her choices. But I married Sophia Loren. She turned into Jean-Claude Van Damme.'

Bourdain also wrote that he was happy the couple no longer had to 'pretend.'

The two were set up by Eric Ripert, who employed Ottavia at his restaurant Le Bernardin in New York City.

It was also Ripert who discovered the body of Bourdain last Friday in France.

Bourdain said that he never saw himself as a father but the two decided after some time together to give it a try, and Ottavia was soon pregnant.

The same year that they were married the couple welcomed daughter Ariane.

'Im shocked by how happy my daughter is. I dont think Im deluding myself. I know Im a loving father,' said Bourdain in that interview.

He then added however: 'Do I wish sometimes that, in an alternative universe, I could be the patriarch, always there? Tons of kids? Grandkids running around? Yes. And it looks good to me. But Im pretty sure Im incapable of it.'

He was dating actress Asia Argento at the time of his death, and had been married to Nancy Putkoski for 20 years prior to Busia.

Tender moment: Busia is currently handling Bourdain's funeral arrangements and the process of getting his body back to the United States from France (Bourdain and Ariane in 2016)

Longtime friends: Bourdain was discovered dead in his hotel room on Friday morning by chef and friend Eric Ripert, who first introduced him to Busia (Bourdain and Ripert in 2014)

Bourdain and Argento did not have a traditional relationship however according to Rose McGowan.

The actress released an open letter after travelling to Italy to be by Argento's side, in which she writes: 'Anthony and Asia had a free relationship, they loved without borders of traditional relationships, and they established the parameters of their relationship early on.'

McGowan goes on to say: 'Asia is a free bird, and so was Anthony.'

At the same time that the letter was released, McGowan also posted a message from Argento on her Instagram.

'On behalf of me and all who are hurting because of this unfathomable loss, I have asked the strongest woman I know, Rose McGowan, to be my voice, to help me shoulder this burden and write truth,' read the message.

'Please read these words and have mercy on our pain.'

'On behalf of me and all who are hurting because of this unfathomable loss, I asked the strongest woman I know, Rose McGowan, to be my voice,' said Asia (above)

It was then signed by Argento in 'grief and strength.'

The letter goes on to reveal that after Bourdain met Argento he told a mutual friend that he had 'never met anyone who wanted to die more than him.'

McGowan then explains that while both Bourdain and Argento had suicidal thoughts, Argento got help 'so she could stay alive and live another day for her and her children.'

'Anthonys depression didnt let him, he put down his armor, and that was very much his choice,' claims McGowan.

This letter comes just one week after photos emerged of Argento strolling the streets of Rome with journalist and close friend Hugo Clement.

The joyful and jubilant pair were photographed smiling as they strolled through the Italian capital, just weeks after Clement, 28, posted Argento's powerful speech at the closing ceremony of the Cannes Film Festival in which she attacked Harvey Weinstein and called the annual event his 'hunting ground.'

Photos show the friends embracing and smiling just days before Weinstein's indictment on two counts of rape and one count of criminal sexual act.

Clement is a journalist with Konbini news, and has done a number of well respected pieces for the agency, most recently on the famine in Congo, the livestock industry in France and the threats facing gay men in Tunisia.

Argento's happiness was gone however by Friday with the news of Bourdain's death.

'Sitting across from me is the remarkable human and brave survivor, Asia Argento, who has been through more than most could stand, and yet stand she does,' writes McGowan at the start of the letter.

'She stood up to her monster rapist and now she has to stand up to yet another monster, suicide. The suicide of her beloved lover and ally, Anthony Bourdain. I write these truths because I have been asked to.'

That person appears to have been Argento, whose name is signed alongside McGowan at the end of the note.

McGowan also claims that Bourdain did seek some help prior to his death, but then chose to ignore the recommendations of a medical professional.

'I know before Anthony died he reached out for help, and yet he did not take the doctors advice. And that has led us here, to this tragedy, to this loss, to this world of hurt,' states McGowan.

'Do NOT do the sexist thing and burn a woman on the pyre of misplaced blame. Anthonys internal war was his war, but now shes been left on the battlefield to take the bullets. It is in no way fair or acceptable to blame her or anyone else, not even Anthony.'

For confidential help, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255

For confidential support on suicide matters in the UK, call the Samaritans on 08457 90 90 90 or visit a local Samaritans branch

For confidential support in Australia, please call Lifeline on 13 11 14A dog survived a house explosion that killed one person and blew out the windows of homes as far as two streets away.

A woman died and a man was left critically injured after the blast in the 1000 block of East 125th Street in East Cleveland, Ohio, at 12.45pm on Sunday, the Plain Dealer reports.

But a dog who lives in the house next to the one that exploded survived the explosion  but his home was destroyed.

A dog survived a house explosion that killed one person in Cleveland, Ohio, on Sunday

A woman died and a man was left critically injured after the blast in the 1000 block of East 125th Street in East Cleveland

The dog, called Zeus, wasn't injured but was 'shook up,' according to WOIO-TV.

A 30-year-old woman who was described as a person of interest in the explosion has been located by police, according to the Plain Dealer.

She was reportedly at the scene of the explosion on Sunday.

The explosion damaged several neighboring houses, the Cleveland Fire Department said.

The dog, called Zeus, wasn't injured but was 'shook up,' and his home has been destroyed

A 30-year-old woman who was described as a person of interest in the explosion has been located by police

The explosion damaged several neighboring houses, the Cleveland Fire Department said

The area was roped off and an energy company shut off gas to homes in the immediate area of the house.

Splintered wood and roofing material covered much of the road near the house.

A number of people who live up to two streets away reported their windows were broken or blown out.A Kansas man will receive a settlement of $110,000 from Western Union after falling for a notorious email scam more than ten years ago.

Fred Haines, 77, will get back the six figure sum that he wired between 2005 and 2008 to scammers who had promised him $64 million in inheritance from a Nigerian prince, if only he could pay the fake fees to move the money.

Last year, Western Union admitted in a settlement with the Federal Trade Commission to knowingly looking the other way regarding employees who had been helping scammers to steal the money of its customers, including Haines.

A $586 million fund was created to pay back victims, throughout the US and Canada.

Fred Haines, 77, of Kansas will receive a settlement of $110,000 from Western Union in repayment after falling for one of many notorious email scams more than ten years ago

When Haines first heard about the settlement fund, he was optimistic he'd get his refund.

'I thought, man, $580 million, yeah I should be able to get a little bit of that,' he told the Kansas City Star.

The scammers first made contact with Haines through his Yahoo! email account in 2005.

'They started off with saying I was going to inherit $64 million, and right away I thought "this is kind of a joke, or its a scam,"' Haines said, of his initial reaction before he was duped.

'Those Nigerians know how to talk.'

Haines shared that the prospect sounded too good to be true, but after investing so much time and money, it became too difficult to believe it was all a lie.'

'It got to the point where they were showing me that the President of Nigeria had sent me a letter. It had his picture on it and everything,' Haines said.

'I looked it up on the computer to see what the Nigerian president looked like, and it was him.'

Haines kept one email which appeared as if it was signed by Robert Mueller, who at that time was the director of the FBI, and called Haines 'B-DOG' as a code name.

That email read, in part: 'I wish you can remove doubt and suspicious and go ahead I assured you that you will never regret this fund release.'

Today, this kind of thing seems hard to imagine happening with all the publicity these kinds of scams have gotten, but Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt noted, ['T]he reason that scammers keep doing the same thing is that theyre making money at it.'

Over the course of three years, Haines remortgaged his home three times and was even left wandering around the Wichita Airport waiting for a supposed Nigerian man with suitcases full of of cash, before he realized the promised money wasn't going to show up.

The office of Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt (pictured) sent letters to 25,000 Kansas residents seeking to notify them they might be eligible for a refund

Western Union admitted in a settlement with the Federal Trade Commission to knowingly looking the other way regarding employees who had been helping scammers to steal money from its customers

After the settlement was reached, the only people who knew about it were those who had already complained to law enforcement, or reached out directly to Western Union.

Schmidt wasn't OK with that, so he sent out a news release, but still worried the information wouldn't reach everyone who had been swindled.

That's when members of his team contacted Western Union themselves to get a list of who might be eligible for a refund, including all Kansas residents who had sent large sums of money and any who had sent any sums of any amount to certain high-risk countries.

The effort by Schmidt's office resulted in 25,000 letters being sent out.

'It was an imperfect system, but it was the best we were able to come up with to try to identify people who otherwise never wouldve been identified,' Schmidt said.

To add to the difficulty in reaching victims, many of them were skeptical after having been tricked into giving their money away in the first place.

Thanks to Haines careful filing of every receipt and piece of correspondence, Haines was able to prove he had sent $110,000 to scammers and will get his money back.

Those who had sent money to scammers through Western Union between January 1, 2004 and January 19, 2017 were eligible to submit a claim.

The period for filing a refund claim closed on May 31. Those who submitted for reimbursement may have to wait more than year for approval and processing of their refunds.

Haines is one of 344 people in the state of Kansas alone who have collectively claimed a total of $1,758,988 in refunds from the pool as a result, thanks to the help of Schmidt.Unhappy customer: Christopher Cave, 26, has been charged with making a false threat targeting a Florida car dealership

A Florida man has been charged with threatening to 'shoot up' a Lincoln car dealership because of his vehicle's mechanical problems.

Christopher Cave, 26, from Miramar, called Pines Ford Lincoln in Pembroke Pines on June 2 to express his frustration.

'Guess what?' Cave said in a 98-second voicemail message. 'Kids shoot up schools...I shoot up dealership.'

Cave complained that the dealership takes his car payments but his car isn't functioning like it should, reported Sun-Sentinel.

Police said the manager of the business sent three employees home that day because he feared for their lives after listening to Cave's message.

Cave is accused of calling Pines Ford Lincoln in Pembroke Pines (pictured) and leaving a voicemail message that said: 'Guess what? Kids shoot up schools...I shoot up dealership'

Cave was arrested on June 4 on a charge of making a false threat. He told investigators he left the message because he was frustrated with the dealership's work on his car.

A judge set Cave's bond at $125,000 after saying during his initial court appearance on June 5 that she finds the nature of the charges to be 'very, very serious.'

Records indicate that Cave was arrested in January 2015 on misdemeanor counts of battery and criminal mischief.A year on, the story of Londons Grenfell Tower fire will be told in BBC2s new documentary Before Grenfell: A Hidden History, which also tells the history of the Kensington building and the surrounding area.

Before the fire broke out that left Grenfell Tower desolate and killed an estimated 72 people on June 14, 2017, the richest borough in the country had many social inequality problems since the Victorian era, some of which will be documented in the BBC programme.

UK Prime Minister Theresa May said that she will always regret not meeting with the Grenfell Tower residents in the immediate aftermath of the disaster and understands that her actions may have made it seem like she didnt care.

The story of the Grenfell Tower will be told in BBC2s Before Grenfell: A Hidden History

Alongside this, in the run up to the one-year anniversary of the fateful event, Channel 4 has also commissioned a 15-minute virtual reality film on Grenfell Tower, which aims to focus on the lives of the residents.

Grenfell Tower

On June 14, 2017 just before 1am, a fire broke out in and around a Hotpoint fridge-freezer in a kitchen of a fourth floor flat in the 23-storey Grenfell Tower in North Kensington in West London and not before long, the fire had reached the exterior of the building and travelled to all four sides.

Two hours after the fire had started, most of the upper floors were alight and led to more than 70 people dying. According to witness statements, after being woken by smoke alarms, a resident called the fire brigade just before 1am.

Four fire engines arrived at the scene minutes later and as the crew dealt with the fire in the fridge freezer, flames began to grow in other areas of the kitchen and images revealed that it had spread to the cladding before the firefighters had even arrived.

As the fire continued to spread, by 2am the London Fire Bridge had declared it a major incident and at this point, around 40 fire engines were at the location or on their way. In addition to this, because of Grenfell Towers stay put fire policy, many residents were told to remain in their flats by emergency services.

The stay put order was abandoned at just before 3am and 65 people were rescued from the building by firefighters, 144 managing to escape before the order was abandoned, but only 36 after. By 4:30am, the entire building was engulfed and the fire did not stop until 1am the next day.

Photo issued by the Grenfell Tower Inquiry of the kitchen in Flat 16 where the fire started

Grenfell Tower vigil

Writing for the Evening Standard, Prime Minister Theresa May has revealed that she will always regret not meeting the residents of Grenfell Tower after the disaster and made it clear the belief she didnt care was never the case.

She continued: What I did not do on that first visit was meet the residents and survivors who had escaped the blaze. But the residents of Grenfell Tower needed to know that those in power recognised and understood their despair.

And I will always regret that by not meeting them that day, it seemed as though I didnt care. The Grenfell Tower inquiry has been halted for a week so that memorials and vigils can take place to mark the anniversary.

The North Kensington community will come together for a 24-hour vigil on the eve of the anniversary and at 1:30am BST on Thursday, June 14, the names of all the fires victims will be read out at St Clements church.

At 12pm, survivors and the bereaved will also gather near Grenfell Tower for a minutes silence, the tower being lit green alongside 12 other tower blocks in the area, from 12:54am, the time the fire is thought to have started and will be for the following four evenings.

The facade of the Grenfell Tower in London after a fire raced through the high-rise building

Grenfell Tower documentary

Before Grenfell: A Hidden History, which will air on BBC2 at 9pm on Wednesday, June 13, will reveal footage that tells the history of North Kensington, which has had problems with social inequality since the Victorian era.

150 years ago, there was a literal wall in place in order to separate the rich and the poor, and residents who have lived in this area for their entire lives have experienced slum clearance and gentrification, as well as the house price boom.

The BBC documentary will focus on these topics in addition to the building of the construction of Grenfell Tower in contrast to the attitude towards the W11 golden postcode, that attracts celebrities and millionaires.

Channel 4 documentary

Channel 4 commissioned a 15-minute virtual reality film on Grenfell Tower, focusing on the residents of the building, produced by independent production company Parable and was premiered at Sheffield Doc/Fests Alternative Realities exhibition on June 7.

Grenfell: Our Home used interviews shot in stereoscopic 360 with animation designed by the Tony Award-winning 59 Productions to recreate the everyday lives of the residents. Personal photos and videos have also been incorporated.Lydia Estes Pinkham, born in Massachusetts in 1819, was a Quaker, abolitionist and early advocate for women's rights who developed a reputation for developing remedies for physical ailments - particularly issues plaguing women

She was a ubiquitous face at a time when women were rarely featured at the center of advertising campaigns in America. Lydia Pinkham, an abolitionist, a mother and a Quaker from Massachusetts, became an unlikely, ground-breaking entrepreneur of the 19th century, marketing home-made remedies for female complaints that became wildly popular across the US and further afield. Her stoic, kindly face, framed by a frilled collar and a neatly arranged bun hairstyle, looked out from the bottles of her Vegetable Compound which promised cures for a variety of ailments.

Not everyone was a fan of that face, however  in an example of early trolling. The naysayers may not have been online, but they vehemently voiced their criticism the old-fashioned way: by sending letters.

Madam, wrote T.G. Scott in an 1880 letter to the businesswoman. If it is necessary that you should parade your portrait in every country paper in the United States, cant you, in mercy to the nation, have a new one taken once in a while? Do your hair a little differently, say? Have a turn to your head and look solemn? Anything to get rid of that cast iron smile!

You ought to feel solemn in any way that your face pervades the mind of the nation like a nightmare and that you have become a bug bear to innocent children. Also, that portrait is destroying the circulation of the newspapers. I have stopped my county paper to get rid of it and I know of several flourishing papers that have been absolutely killed by it.

I think my words express the heartfelt desire of a long suffering people and that I am sustained in this request by the strongest public sentiment ever brought to bear on any subject!

Despite the popularity of Lydia's products, she also received letters from detractors - with one critic in 1880 writing that she had a 'cast iron smile' and claiming that her 'face pervades the mind of the nation like a nightmare' and she had 'become a bug bear to innocent children'

In 1873, the married mother founded the Lydia E. Pinkham Medicine Company in order to market her remedy across the country as Lydia E. Pinkhams Vegetable Compound - and she smartly patented her homemade concoction

The criticism and ridicule didnt end there; Pinkham became the butt of ribald college choir tunes and an easy target of drinking songs. One tunes lyrics proclaimed: Theres a face that haunts me ever, there are eyes mine always meet/as I read the morning paper, as I walk the crowded street.

Despite the trolling, however, Pinkham was laughing all the way to the bank. And that was convenient, because her business took off after the fortunes of her husband fell horribly.

Lydia Estes Pinkham was born February 9, 1819 in Lynn, Massachusetts, growing up in a Quaker family, attending Lynn Academy and fervently supporting abolition and other interests including temperance, phrenology and womens rights. She married Isaac Pinkham, a young widower, in 1843, developing a reputation as she raised her young family for being skilled in herbal remedies. Female friends and relatives swore by a compound she made comprised of black cohosh, life root, unicorn root, pleurisy root, fenugreek seed and a substantial amount of alcohol.

It was particularly effective for menstrual and menopausal complaints, they said, in an era when many women feared sharing their symptoms with doctors who often over-treated or misdiagnosed female problems. Pinkham  to her credit  was unusually open about reproductive and female health issues, and in 1873, she founded the Lydia E. Pinkham Medicine Company in order to market Lydia E. Pinkhams Vegetable Compound.

The same year, an economic depression set in  eventually causing the collapse of her husbands real estate fortune. But the family finances were set to soar with the huge demand for Lydias Compound  and the Pinkham clans knack for clever advertising. Lydias image stuck out because, if women were featured in advertising at all during the late 19th century, they were usually background characters. Men such as Buffalo Bill promoted themselves as big personalities and traded on their image, but women had yet to enter the fray.

So Lydia, as one of the only women pictured on a product, became arguably the most recognized female face in the country. She was so widespread, in fact, that newspapers and people on the street often confused her with other female figures  including the Queen. In one anecdote, a Boston newspaper editor, while intoxicated, put her picture on the top of every column of the paper.

Lydia, pictured earlier in her life, began producing her compound in her cellar, but the popularity of the product and the growth of the business later meant that production expanded to other locations

Lydia and her company produced not only remedy products but also pamphlets and books featuring advice on everything from physical ailments to household and baking tips

Lydia was open and informative about female and reproductive health at a time when such matters were rarely discussed, and she sought to educate as many women as she could

Testimonials about the efficacy of her product came from all over the country and were included in her pamphlets.

Seven years ago I took Lydia E. Pinkhams Vegetable Compound and after being married sixteen years became the mother of a sweet little girl, read one included in the promotional materials, attributed to Mrs. J. Naumann of St. Louis, Missouri. I had longed for children all the while and wept many a day and envied every woman with a child. I was thirty-six years old when my baby was born. I recommend Lydia E. Pinkhams Vegetable Compound to any woman who is ailing with female weakness.

And she and her family had the great foresight not only to sear her image into public consciousness but also to safeguard her beloved formula. She patented her remedy in 1976, ensuring her family had control over the product for the next 50 years.

The companys booklets and pamphlets, however, were not limited to promoting the compound or offering advice about female complaints  there were also practical tips on everything from house-cleaning and first aid to recipes.

For a rusty nail accident pour turpentine at once on the afflicted parts, reads one section. For burns put on scraped raw potato instantly and change as often as it gets warm, until the pain is relieved.

Lydia frequently received letters from customers and women with questions and answered them all, hiring others to help with the workload - and following her death in 1883, a staff continued to write back to letters received

In the 2015 book Lydia Pinkham: The Face That Launched a Thousand Ads, author Sammy R. Danna wrote 'that research has shown the compound may have been one hundred years ahead of its time when it hit the market in 1875, promising relief from menstrual ailments. That the often-mocked remedy actually had a hint of therapeutic power wouldnt be a surprise to anyone who knew Lydia, given her knack for pushing boundaries and her familys history of confronting one intense challenge after another'

Olive oil will remove gum from a childs hair as if by magic.

When a child puts a bean in his nose, dont try to dig it out. Put a little cayenne pepper upon his upper lip and he will sneeze it out.

To extract splinters, fill a wide-mouthed bottle almost to the top with very hot water and place the injured part over the mouth of the bottle and press lightly. Suction will draw the flesh down and steam will extract the splinter.

All was not plain sailing, though, despite the companys increasing fortunes and commercial success.

Her personal life, however, was not free of suffering, with three of her sons preceding her in death and husband Isaac falling ill in his later years, author Sammy R. Danna writes in the 2015 book Lydia Pinkham: The Face That Launched a Thousand Ads.

Amid the sorrow, royalties from the compound meant that by 1882 Lydia and Isaac were living comfortably. Even though she had become well known and enjoyed celebrity-like status, Lydia managed to live frugally, remain modest, and be in good spirits.

Even in her later years, Lydia showed ambition while continuing to work hard. Concerned that her advertisements were not conveying everything she wanted women to know, she decided to write her now-famous Guide to Health, which finally became Lydia E. Pinkhams Private Textbook upon Ailments Peculiar to Women.

At a time when women were rarely featured in advertising, Lydia - whose family showed a knack for marketing - put her own image on her products and became one of the most recognizable women in the United States

Although she was trolled by critics for her appearance and the presence of her image all over the country, she also received great praise and testimonials from loyal customers

Lydia worried that many females were ignorant of their anatomies and general health. The fact they had few outlets to consult about their bodies distressed her  Although the book promoted the compound, its main purpose was to inform. The company handed out the book for free  the only work of its kind offered to the public without cost. Only later would the government issue similar information on child training, prenatal and postpartum care, and other subjects regarding womens health.

And while Lydia was seeking to educate and help women, the demand for her compound kept increasing. She had started out manufacturing the product in her cellar kitchen, but that became too small, Danna writes  so the two-storey house next door was remodeled as a factory, and the entire operation evolved into a business that aimed at mass-producing the medicine. A staff was hired because Lydia could no longer do it alone.

What she also could not do alone, however, was respond to the vast amount of correspondence and inquiries she received from women looking for help and advice  reportedly 100 letters a day. She established a Department of Advice with an all-female staff to respond, and the letters kept coming even after her death on May 17, 1883  at a time when her Vegetable Compound was grossing $300,000 annually (the equivalent of more than $7million today).

The company kept going strong, as well, with many loyal customers not even realizing Lydia had died  and Lydias spirit looming large as her vision grew and grew.

The personal connection, of course, went beyond the workplace and right back to Lydia, whose lgacy would continue to be a driving force during the tough years that were to come, Danna writes. An article in the Daily Inter Ocean (Chicago) in 1894 told of a Pinkham employee who worked as a company correspondent. The worker would always use Lydias signature when replying to letters despite the fact that Mrs. Pinkham had been dead for more than ten years.

The Inter Ocean even claimed that the correspondent, before going to bed, would utter this prayer: For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen. Yours for health. Lydia.

As the years went on, government control would begin to encroach upon the Pinkhams and the companys secrets; in 1906, the Pure Food and Drug Act forced them to reveal that the compound contained up to 20 percent alcohol. That didnt curb sales, though, and the Lydia E. Pinkham Medicine Company boasted production centers in Canada and Mexico as well as the US. According to Danna, more than 450 people were employed at the companys plant at its peak in 1925.

And while more modern remedies and medicines may be sought by woman nowadays, that doesnt mean that Lydias concoction has disappeared; it can still be bought in pill and liquid form.

Less well known today is Lydias Vegetable Compound, even though a million dollars worth of the potion is sold every year on the Internet and by word of mouth, Danna writes. But more important than the bottom line is the fact that research has shown the compound may have been one hundred years ahead of its time when it hit the market in 1875, promising relief from menstrual ailments. That the often-mocked remedy actually had a hint of therapeutic power wouldnt be a surprise to anyone who knew Lydia, given her knack for pushing boundaries and her familys history of confronting one intense challenge after another.Swedish DJ and music producer Avicii has been laid to rest in a private ceremony in his hometown of Stockholm.

Avicii, whose real name was Tim Bergling, was found dead in the city of Muscat, Oman, on April 20.

Following his death, his family penned an open letter saying the 28-year-old 'could not go on any longer and wanted peace'.

The private funeral for the 28-year-old Swedish DJ, who died in Muscat, Oman in April, was held at at Skogskyrkogarden, a cemetery in the hitmaker's hometown of Stockholm

A photo of the order of service was posted on social media by Avicii's friend Jesse Waits

The private funeral was held at Skogskyrkogarden, a cemetery in southern Stockholm which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, yesterday.

Avicii's friend Jesse Waits, a US entrepreneur and nightclub owner posted a picture on Instagram of the funeral order of service, simply captioned with a heart emoji.

His brother-in-law Joakim Sterner also posted a picture from Skogskyrkogarden yesterday, showing himself posing solemnly in front of a cross.

Last month Avicii's Swedish publicist Ebba Lindqvist announced that the funeral would be held 'in the presence of the people who were closest to Tim,' without providing any more details.

No cause of death has been released, but in a statement last month Bergling's family appeared to suggest he took his own life, saying that he struggled with his thoughts and 'could not go on any longer'.

The letter, signed 'The Family', described Avicii as a 'fragile artistic soul and a sensitive guy not made for the machinery he ended up in'.

It says he 'truly battled thoughts about the Meaning, Life, Happiness. Now, he could not go on any more. He wanted peace.'

In the days following his death, it was revealed that Avicii had been in a committed relationship with Czech-American model Tereza Kacerova, and was a doting step-father to her young son at the time of his death.

Ms Kacerova posted a heartbreaking open letter on her Instagram, in which she revealed that the pair had been planning on having children of their own, along with a series of photographs of them together.

Despite a meteoric rise to success following the release of hit-single Le7els in 2011, Avicii announced in 2016 that he would not longer perform live, following years health problems caused by stress and alcohol abuse, as well as severe anxiety.

Family: Avicii's girlfriend, model Tereza Kacerova revealed in a letter posted on Instagram that they were in a serious relationship and that Avicii was a doting step-father to her son Lucas

Adventures: The couple are seen in a lift, with Avicii holding Lucas and smiling for the camera

Proud parents: Avicii's parents, Anki Liden and Klas Bergling are seen watching him perform in Stockholm, Sweden during one of his final live shows. A family member rushed to be by the troubled DJ's side in Oman after a worrying phone conversation with him, but sadly arrived two hours after Avicii had taken his own life

Family: Avicii is pictured as a child with his mother, who is an actress, at film premieres

A recent documentary, Avicii: True Stories shed light on the extreme pressure he was under, performing 320 shows in a single year.

AVICII'S FAMILY'S OPEN LETTER Read the family's open letter, published on Thursday, in full; 'Our beloved Tim was a seeker, a fragile artistic soul who always carried great existential questions. 'An overperforming perfectionist who travelled and worked hard at a tempo which led to extremely difficult stress. 'When he stopped touring, he wanted to find a balance in life to feel good and be able to do what he loved the most - music.' 'He truly battled thoughts about the Meaning, Life, Happiness. 'Now, he could not go on any more. He wanted peace. 'Tim was not made for the machinery he ended up in, he was a sensitive guy who loved his fans, but shunned the spotlight,' the statement read. 'Tim, you will forever be loved and missed. Who you were and your music will carry on the memory of you. 'We love you, the family'. Advertisement

In the documentary, Avicii, a self-confessed introvert, speaks frequently about using alcohol as a crutch to be able to perform, drinking every day during his hectic tour, and to help him with his crippling anxiety and stress.

At the age of 21 he was diagnosed with acute pancreatitis - a potentially life-threatening inflammation of the pancreas - due in part to excessive drinking.

In 2014, Bergling was again hospitalised and forced to have his gallbladder and appendix removed.

Avicii made a fortune during his short career, cashing in $28million in 2014 alone, earning $250,000 a night when playing out sold-out shows, according to GQ.

Avicii himself was less bothered about his millions, saying in 2013 that he 'noticed straight away when I started making money, that I don't need that much money'.

In 2012 he donated the entire income of his U.S. tour - more than one million dollars - to hunger relief charity Feeding America, and in 2013 he gave one million euros to Swedish aid organisation Radiohjalpen.

Bergling grew up in affluent Ostermalm in the Swedish capital Stockholm, and began producing music in high school.

Heartbreaking: This is one of the last pictures taken of the young musician, days before he was found dead in Muscat, Oman, in April

Tragedy: The family of the Swedish DJ, whose real name was Tim Bergling, said the 28-year-old 'could not go on any longer and wanted peace'

He made a name for himself on the EDM (Electronic Dance Music) scene, before his breakthrough hit Le7els in 2011.

He would later become known for hits like Wake Me Up!, You Make Me, and recently Lonely Together, a collaboration with Rita Ora.

He won two MTV Music Awards, one Billboard Music Award and earned two Grammy nominations.

Just three days before his death, in his final post on Twitter, Bergling thanked the Billboard Music Award's jury for his nomination int the Top Dance/Electronic Album category for his EP Avici (01).

He died on April 20 in Muscat, Oman, where he is reported to have been holidaying with friends.A foreign terrorist's chilling plot to bomb Melbourne's Queen Victoria market has been exposed, just days before the attack was intended to take place.

It was revealed that the anonymous jihadi mastermind was actively grooming a recruit to carry out the catastrophic attack, which would have seen a 'sequence of bombs' being planted at the market and detonated when it was at its busiest.

Over the course of five months, the man sent a series of encrypted texts and voice files instructing his recruit on such things as how to create a car bomb and where best to trigger it in order to kill as many 'dirty unbelievers' as possible, Herald Sun reports.

A foreign terrorist's chilling plot to bomb Melbourne's Queen Victoria market has been exposed - just days before the attack was intended to take place

'Look out for such a target which should be easily accessible to you and there must be gathering of at least 100 persons,' the terrorist mastermind told his recruit over an encrypted messaging service

'Look out for such a target which should be easily accessible to you and there must be gathering of at least 100 persons,' he said.

'This should be a crowded place where people may gather in large number so that when you explode devices fitted in the vehicles, it may cause the maximum damage, God willing.'

As it turns out, his pseudo extremist recruit was in fact an undercover group of UK jihadi hunters, posing as a willing candidate in order to coax information from the man and ultimately foil his deadly plans.

That correspondence - which took place over the encrypted messaging service Telegram - has since been handed to the Australian Federal Police and to Victoria Police's Joint Counter Terrorism Team.

As it turns out, his pseudo extremist recruit was in fact an undercover group of UK jihadi hunters, posing as a willing candidate in order to coax information and foil the deadly plans

Other conversations discussed the possibility of attacking 'heathens' at St Paul's Cathedral, killing shoppers at Chadstone or even targetting government buildings such as the William St law courts precinct.

Eventually the cross-hairs landed on the Queen Victoria markets, with the man urging his recruit to carry out the attack on June 14, in the middle of Ramadan.

'May God accept our prayers and fasting during this month. May God make Ramadan a month of victory for us. Amen,' he said.

He also insisted that no Muslim be harmed in the attack.

The mastermind urged his recruit to carry out the attack on June 14, in the middle of Ramadan

A spokesperson for Victoria Police stated that 'Our teams regularly receive information from various sources and carefully assess that information based on validity and risk.

'These matters were assessed earlier this year in accordance with that process and it was determined that they pose no threat in Australia.'

It is believed that the terrorist recruiter is based somewhere overseas, potentially in Pakistan or Bangladesh, and is being assisted by a network of like-minded extremists.The wife of a man accused of stabbing his five-year-old son to death as he lay in his bed has declared she 'still loves' him despite the tragedy.

The 36-year-old father, who cannot be identified, was charged with the murder of his son at a Carlingford home in Sydney's north-west on Friday morning.

The heartbroken mother said her husband of many years 'was a sick man' and was 'not himself', revealing she still loved him despite the charges he faces.

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The wife of a man accused of stabbing his five-year-old son to death as he lay in his bed has declared she 'still loves' him despite the tragedy

'I still love my partner ... I need to be there to support him when no one has. He loved our son more than words can express'

'I work in a hospital and know only too well how poorly funded mental health is. The death of my son is the price I'm having to pay for this,' she told the Daily Telegraph.

'I still love my partner ... I need to be there to support him when no one has. He loved our son more than words can express.'

She said her son's father had tried to get medical help up to four times in the week leading up to the alleged stabbing, but was turned away or given more medicine.

On Wednesday, he reportedly tried to voluntarily check himself into the mental health ward at Hornsby Hospital but was turned away because there were no beds.

His wife hit out at the public health care system, questioning why her alleged requests for assistance dealing with his mental stability were rejected.

'There was no bed for my partner ... yet there's money for space in the hospital morgue for a five-year-old's body?' she said.

'There was no bed for my partner ... yet there's money for space in the hospital morgue for a five-year-old's body?' she questioned

The 36-year-old man, who has not been identified, was charged with the murder of his son (pictured) at a Carlingford home in Sydney 's north-west on Friday morning

The father tried to get medical help at a mental health unit up to four times in past weeks but was reportedly turned away because there were no beds (pictured)

A nurse working at Hornsby Hospital claimed the father tried voluntarily checking himself in on the same day four people were stabbed at a birthday party in Asquith.

The hospital was under 'immense stress' as they were reportedly dealing with a separate stabbing incident two days before the fatal attack on the five-year-old boy.

'I can tell you that there were just no beds and no staff to care for him,' a mental health nurse at the hospital told the Hornsby Advocate.

'The whole hospital was a shambles, we had the Asquith stabbing incident with patients admitted, which resulted in an increased security presence and the mental health unit and the Emergency Department running over capacity.'

The heartbroken mother said her husband of many years 'was a sick man' and was 'not himself' because of 'the drugs'

The boy's mother, who is also a nurse, claimed she 'still loves (her) partner' and she wanted to 'support him when no one has'

Neighbours told Daily Mail Australia the dad 'cared for that boy very much', while witnesses described the grandmother's 'brave' attempt to get her beloved relative to safety

A family friend claimed it was not the first time the father had tried seeking help prior to the alleged murder where he was turned away or given increased medication each time, 9News reported.

'He is a product of a broken system and we have to live with the pain for the rest of our lives,' the friend said.

Moments after the horrific alleged attack, the child's grandmother found the young boy in bed covered in stab wounds.

The 60-year-old woman rushed the child about 400 metres away from the house before calling Triple Zero but despite the heroic efforts, the five-year-old died in hospital shortly after arriving.

The boy's father faced Parramatta Bail Court 24 hours later via video link from Amber Laurel Correctional Centre where it was heard the man's family tried to find him help days earlier.

The accused faced Parramatta Bail Court a day later via video link where it was heard the man's family tried to find him help days before the alleged attack

Just 24 hours earlier, the man's 'sweet boy' was being driven away from the house by his 60-year-old grandmother in a desperate attempt to save his life

A neighbour, Hank, said: 'He was a very sweet little boy ... the relationship between the father and son was a doting relationship'

When the father appeared through video link, he seemed confused asking 'where am I?'.

Neighbours told Daily Mail Australia the dad 'cared for that boy very much', while witnesses described the grandmother's 'brave' attempt to get her beloved relative to safety.

Another neighbour, Hank, said: 'He was a very sweet little boy ... the relationship between the father and son was a doting relationship.

'[He] ran to his father when he wanted help'.

New South Wales Police Superintendent Rob Critchlow was full of praise for the grandmother's heroism but 'despite her best efforts, there was nothing more she could have done'.

Superintendent Critchlow described the level of violence as 'horrendous' as investigations were still in the early stages.

'The fact a young boy - five years of age - has died from being injured in his home, it's probably about as bad as it gets,' he said at the crime scene Friday.

The school boy was rushed to Westmead Children's Hospital but could not be saved.

The 36-year-old father was denied bail and is expected to appear next in court on July 30.

Police are investigating as a report is being prepared for the coroner.

New South Wales Police Superintendent Rob Critchlow was full of praise for the grandmother's heroism yesterday but 'despite her best efforts, there was nothing more she could have done'

Superintendent Critchlow described the level of violence as 'horrendous' as investigations were still in the early stages (scene pictured)

'The fact a young boy - five years of age - has died from being injured in his home, it's probably about as bad as it gets,' he said at the crime scene FridayShocking footage shows a Cambridge student being told to 'go home' in a racist outburst after a row broke out in a doctor's surgery.

Rickesh Advani, 28, had reprimanded a fellow patient for making lewd comments about a woman in the waiting room of Cornford House Surgery.

But the man did not react well to being told to be more respectful. 'Brexit. Go home' he told Mr Advani, who is British, while gesturing towards the exit.

Mr Advani had stepped in when the white middle-aged man told a female patient to 'spread 'em' and 'get your t*** out' when she bent over to put down her bag.

The political science student, who filmed the encounter on his phone, told the man: 'Mate, this is a doctor's surgery. That's really very inappropriate.'

'Pipe down!' the man retorted, before making the racist comment.

The fiery exchange escalated and Mr Advani demanded that the police be called. He didn't want to use his own phone because then he would have had to stop filming.

When none of the other patients stepped in to help, he stormed out of the surgery to phone himself. He is yet to hear back from officers.

Mr Advani, originally from London, said: 'I was absolutely disgusted by what I had heard and couldn't believe that in 2018 people can be so bigoted.

'Brexit. Go home': The abusive patient (pictured right) made the shocking comment when he was confronted about making lewd comments in the Cambridge doctor's surgery

'At the very first opportunity I told him to politely stop and hoped that would be the end of it.

'Any reasonable human in that situation would have accepted his wrong but he became unnecessarily aggressive to me.'

Mr Advani, who used to run a charity, was once homeless but turned his life around and gained a place at prestigious Cambridge University.

Mr Advani at Cambridge University, where he is studying political science

Simon Gridley, a manager at the surgery, wrote in a letter to Mr Advani: 'I would like to apologise for our handling of the racial abuse you received on that day.

'My colleague mentioned that you felt you were unfairly treated as you [were made to feel] that you were the guilty party, when you had, quite rightly, stood up for another member of the public.

'This I would particularly like to apologise for, as this was not our intention. Our intention was to simply defuse the situation before it turned into something physical, and I deeply regret that the way we did this made you feel like you had done something wrong.

'We do not possess the authority to forcibly remove/detain a person unless they commit an act of physical violence or aggression. Thus we could not force the other person into a separate room.

'I know an apology is not the same as getting it right the first time, but again, I sincerely apologise.'Hundreds of MEPs were left stranded in a French field for several hours after their chartered train broke down.

Furious politicians said they had been left in the sweltering heat without water or air conditioning and with overflowing toilets.

MEPs are taken by the chartered train every month from Brussels to Strasbourg in what has been dubbed the 'travelling circus' because France insists the Parliament must meet there.

But today politicians said the drama shows that the 'senseless' decision to ferry them between different cities should be scrapped and the parliament based in a single location.

The train ground to a halt in the countryside outside Strasbourg after the power cut out this morning.

Hundred of MEPs were left stranded in a French field for several hours after their chartered train broke down.

Another passenger posted images of the stranded passengers on Twitter and tore into the decision to rotate the location of the European parliament between France and Belgium

A German Green MEP also lashed out at the practice of ferrying MEPs between Brussels and Strasbourg every month as she chronicled the railway mishap

After an hour stuck inside the sweltering heat with no air conditioning they were allowed off to stretch their legs and get some fresh air.

The water ran out on board and one passenger became so desperate for water they wandered around outside trying to collect rain water in a spare plastic cup.

But then a thunderstorm broke out and they were driven inside to take shelter from the onslaught.

Lib Dem MEP Catherine Bearder said the drama shows the traveling circus should finally be brought to an end and the European Parliament stay in one city.

She said: 'MEPs don't want this constant travelling circus, we consistently vote against it.

'Today is unpleasant and a waste of time, and it might help change minds about the absurdity of having two places of business. But at least we are safe.'

She chronicled the drama in a series of Twitter posts.

She said on Twitter: 'Ask any MEP, we don't want this mad trip to Strasbourg and this isn't making us any happier!... No AC, no water, no food left (Don't ask about loos) Loco on its way apparently.'

She added: 'It's unpleasant and hot, but it's not on the high seas and at least Strasbourg will let us in. #everythinginperspective.

'This is just wasting our time, not costing lives.'

MEPs were driven back aboard the train after a thunderstorm erupted outside

The Lib Dem MEP said that the drama proves that the pointless strips between Strasbourg and Brussels are sill and the European parliament should be based ina single location

She said the conditions were unpleasant on the train. One passenger became so thirsty when the water ran out they collected rain water in a plastic cup

Liberal Democrat MEP chronicled her time stranded on the train on Twitter

Catherine Bearder said that MEps were driven back into the train when a thunderstorm broke out

Taina Mertalo, a Finnish press officer aboard, repeated the call for the European Parliament to be based in a singe location - 'one seat'.

She wrote on Twitter: 'So tired of senseless travelling! #oneseat

Dave Keating, a journalist aboard, said: 'The chartered Thalys train that shuttles MEPs and their staff from Brussels to the European Parliament in Strasbourg has been stuck in the French countryside for three hours after train lost power.

'After an hour stuck inside the heat, they released the MEPs out into the fields.

A diesel train eventually turned up and is tugging the train, which the stricken MEPs and their aides aboard, to Strasbourg.Advertisement

A doctor enchanted by a fairytale castle as a child has bought it to save it from falling into ruin.

Mark Baker, 33, fell under the spell of Gwrych Castle in Conwy, North Wales, after playing around its six miles of walls as a schoolboy. But he saw it fall into ruins - and aged just 11 he set up a trust in a bid to save the castle.

Two decades on he discovered it was due to go to auction for 600,000 - and feared he could miss out. But just one day before the sale, the trust bought the castle thanks to funding from the National Heritage Memorial Fund.

Gwrych Castle in North Wales was constructed between 1812 and 1822 and sits within 160 acres of picturesque grounds

Mark Baker (left) fell under the spell of Gwrych Castle as a boy, but became saddened as it fell into a state of disrepair (right)

A gradual decline began when Gwrych Castle finally left the Bamford-Hesketh family's hands in 1946

Dr Baker saw the Welsh castle fall into ruins - and aged just 11 he set up a trust in a bid to save the building

As a boy, Dr Baker started the Gwrych Castle Preservation Trust registered charity and fundraised to restore the castle

The castle was built by Lloyd Hesketh Bamford-Hesketh as a memorial to his mother's ancestors, the Lloyds of Gwrych

The National Heritage Memorial Fund provided funding along with a grant from the Richard Broyd Charitable Trust

Dr Baker said: 'As a child, I would pass the castle every day to and from school, and at the age of 11 founded the castle trust. Now, 21 years later, we are in a position to purchase and realise that vision.'

As a boy, Dr Baker started the Gwrych Castle Preservation Trust registered charity and fundraised to restore the castle. He also wrote a book called the Rise and Fall of Gwrych Castle aged just 14.

Dr Baker, who met Tony Blair and Prince Charles after starting a campaign to save it,said: 'I find it amazing that 20 years of campaigning has helped do this.

'In another ten years we would hope that the whole building will be fully restored and back to its former glory and will be completely open to the public.'

The castle was constructed between 1812 and 1822 and sits within 160 acres of picturesque grounds. It was built by Lloyd Hesketh Bamford-Hesketh as a memorial to his mother's ancestors, the Lloyds of Gwrych.

Dr Baker fell under the spell of Gwrych Castle in Conwy after playing around its six miles of walls as a schoolboy

Dr Baker said that in another ten years he hopes 'the whole building will be fully restored and back to its former glory'

The Gwrych Castle Preservation Trust registered charity was set up when Dr Baker was a mere 11 years old

Dr Baker is aiming to get the building open to the public within the next decade following a restoration project

Dr Baker wrote a book called the Rise and Fall of Gwrych Castle aged just 14 as he became fascinated by the building

Dr Baker said that as a child, he would pass the castle in North Wales every day to and from school

Dr Baker said that two decades after setting up the trust, he is now in a position to buy the castle and realise his early vision

Dr Baker met Tony Blair and Prince Charles after starting a campaign to save the picturesque castle in North Wales

The castle and Dr Baker's story have been featured on the BBC programme Great British Railway Journeys

Dr Baker gave a 'huge vote of thanks' to the National Heritage Memorial Fund and the Richard Broyd Charitable Trust

In 1925 the Earl of Dundonald bought the castle for 78,000 - and during the Second World War it housed Jewish refugees

Winifred Bamford-Hesketh, later Countess of Dundonald, inherited it in 1894. She died in 1924 and her will declared Gwrych should be bequeathed to King George V so the Royal Family had a permanent base in Wales.

But this was declined and it was given to St John of Jerusalem. Then, in 1925 the Earl of Dundonald, Winifred's husband, bought back the castle for 78,000 and during the Second World War it housed Jewish refugees.

A gradual decline began when Gwrych Castle finally left the family's hands in 1946. The National Heritage Memorial Fund provided funding of 600,000 along with a major grant from the Richard Broyd Charitable Trust.

Dr Baker, who has been featured on the BBC's Great British Railway Journeys, added: 'A huge vote of thanks must go to the National Heritage Memorial Fund and the Richard Broyd Charitable Trust for believing in our vision.'A group of residents woke up early on their Saturday morning to protest a local Indianapolis restaurant.

But it wasn't wages they were angry about, or an item on the menu - it was about a necklace. A cross necklace, to be exact.

The community was outraged after Jerry Bond was asked to remove his necklace while out with a group of friends, including his pastor, at Kilroy's last week.

Bond said a bouncer immediately came up to his table and told him to remove or hide the cross that hung from a chain around his neck.

John Bond claims he had to leave an Indianapolis restaurant because he was wearing this large cross necklace

Bond said a bouncer immediately came up to his table and told him to remove or hide the cross that hung from a chain around his neck (pictured)

Bond had been out with friends at Kilroy's (pictured) and was shocked when he was approached by the bouncer

'They said, "Well, you've got to remove your necklace, because it's a large necklace,' Bond told WRAL.

Kilroy's has its 'dress code' posted outside the restaurant, which includes a line stating that 'large chains outside of a shirt' are not permitted.

But Bond decided he would rather leave than hide his faith.

'I'm not going to tuck my cross in because of my beliefs,' he said. 'I believe in wearing this cross and what it represents.'

'It was a horrible situation, and it was embarrassing just to go somewhere and try to enjoy friends and company and get embarrassed like this for no reason.'

'It's like I was just singled out for no reason.'

Bond's friend, Minister David Latimore, decided to stay behind and address the situation with the manager.

Kilroy's has its 'dress code' (pictured) posted outside the restaurant, which includes a line stating that 'large chains outside of a shirt' are not permitted

Bond was among a group of outraged residents who protested on Saturday after the incident

'So I asked him, "What is a large necklace? What does that mean? What size is large?"' Latimore told WXIN. 'He couldn't tell me.'

Latimore later posted a Facebook video about the encounter and revealed the manager's entire demeanor changed after realizing he was speaking to a minister.

'He began to apologize,' Latimore recalled. 'I don't think he would've apologized at all had I not been a preacher.'

Latimore said another bouncer also approached him and apologized, saying the bouncer at their table had taken things 'way too far'.

Bond's minister, David Latimore (pictured), staged the protest after he did not hear back from Kilroy's owner. Latimore also posted a viral video about the incident on Facebook

'His necklace was not a marijuana plant, nor was his necklace a gun or even dice, or anything racist,' Latimore said in the video. 'It was a cross.'

Latimore said he saw multiple people at the restaurant wearing large necklaces, including a server, a woman, and an ex-NBA player who was also wearing a cross.

'This fat, trifling bouncer was racial profiling a person who sat in my party. Yes, I'm outraged, and yes Kilroy's will hear from me,' he declared in the video.

Latimore also sent an email to the owner about the incident. When he received no response, the minister planned a protest outside Kilroy's.

Latimore said he wanted to stage a protest outside the restaurant to send a clear message to Kilroy's regarding the incident

'For us to turn a blind eye to it and allow them to treat customers this way, it's just not right. It's something I won't stand for,' he said

People stood outside the restaurant holding handwritten signs on Saturday, with one stating: 'Can we all be treated equally...it isn't that hard Kilroy's!'

Bond was also in attendance, holding a sign that read: 'Singled out because of my necklace...Really? Kilroy's, do better!'

Latimore said he wanted to stage a protest to send a clear message to Kilroy's.

'If you have a business in this city, you should treat your customers a certain way,' he said.

'For us to turn a blind eye to it and allow them to treat customers this way, it's just not right. It's something I won't stand for.'

DailyMail.com has reached out to Kilroy's for comment.The Massachusetts man who fatally stabbed his wife and sent photos of her body to friends, saying he had killed her and needed someone to care for their children, has been sentenced to life in prison.

Christopher Fratantonio, 37, of Cotuit, Massachusetts, received the mandatory sentence of life without parole following his first-degree murder conviction Friday for killing his wife, Mary Fratantonio, 35, inside their home in February 2017.

Deliberation took just two hours and the jury found that Christopher had committed Mary's murder with both premeditation, extreme atrocity and cruelty.

Christopher Fratantonio, 37 (in 2017), was sentenced to life in prison without parole after being convicted of first-degree murder in his wife, Mary Fratantonio's death in February 2017

When police arrived at their Massachusetts home, they found a chef's knife still in Mary's neck. Christopher reportedly told police he had used the knife to repeatedly stab her

Christopher was charged with murder after repeatedly stabbing Mary to death while she was in bed in their home. When police arrived, they found the chef's knife Christopher had used, still buried in Mary's neck.

The couple's six-year-old daughter and two-year-old son were in the home at the time of the murder.

According to a report written by a state police trooper, Christopher gave authorities who arrived at his home a detailed description of why and how he killed Mary, a special education teacher.

During the trial, it was revealed that, shortly after killing her, Christopher had taken two picture of his dead wife with his cell phone and sent them to a few friends, saying that he had killed Mary and would need someone to look after their kids.

The two-year-old boy was said to have been near Mary's bloody body in one of the pictures, but that Christopher had cropped him out of the shot when he sent out the photo.

A psychiatrist said that at the time of the stabbing, Christopher was not suffering from a mental disease or impaired capacity and that he had deliberated prior to killing Mary.

Mary was the mother of Christopher's two children. Prosecutors said he sent pictures of Mary's body to friends, saying he had killed her and needed someone to look after the kids

Before stabbing her, Christopher 'picked up the knife and put it down, went outside and had a cigarette. He was debating,' Dr. Martin Kelly, a witness for the prosecution, said, according to the Cape Cod Times.

Christopher had apparently told police that Mary was cruel and demanding. He also reportedly told authorities that she had denigrated him when he failed to get her the drugs she needed to fuel an addiction.

Mary's parents testified during the trial that Christopher, a flooring contractor, had a history of terrorizing their daughter and trying to control her.

Christopher's defense team said that Christopher suffered from PTSD due to sexual abuse experienced as a child and that he had had two concussions, in addition to anxiety, depression and a dependence disorder that was focused on Mary.

To rebut claims that Christopher, who did not testify, had acted with premeditation and deliberation, his lawyers pointed to a statement he made to police.

'I wasnt even going to do it; I didnt want to do it. Id rather I had done it to myself,' he was quoted as saying after the slaying.

The defense also introduced a forensic psychiatrist who said that stabbing his wife had been a 'primitive emotion,' which stunted his ability to act in a rational manner.

Police arrived at the Cotuit home at about 1am, after receiving multiple 911 calls, with at least one neighbor reporting that noises were coming from the home past midnight and requesting a check on the family, WBZ-TV reported.

During his sentencing impact statement, Mary's brother, Ian McClatchey, called Christopher 'a savage psychopath' and 'a violent predator.'

'He let his own children see their mothers body torn apart at his hands,' McClatchey was quoted as saying.

Mary's stepfather, Thomas Kilbourne, said he and her mother, Joan, now have custody of their two grandchildren and would be giving them 'security, safety, love and care so they can deal with what they have to deal with.'

Kilbourne also noted that, 'Im going to be 90 years old when Lucas graduates.'

The judge handed down the maximum sentence for Christopher  life in prison without the possibility of parole. In Massachusetts, all first-degree murder convictions are automatically sent for appeal to the state's Supreme Judicial Court.

A GoFundMe fundraiser, created by Mary's stepfather to cover the childrens' educational and health care costs, has raised $71,900 since it was started in March 2017, well above its $25,000 goal.The Trump administration on Monday slapped sanctions on several Russian companies and businessmen for engaging in cyberattacks and assisting Russia's military and intelligence services with other malicious activities.

The Treasury Department said it was imposing sanctions on five Russian firms and three of their executives under legislation passed last year and an executive order aimed at punishing efforts to hack into U.S. computer systems.

The sanctions freeze any assets that those targeted may have in U.S. jurisdictions and bar Americans from doing business with them.

'The United States is engaged in an ongoing effort to counter malicious actors working at the behest of the Russian Federation and its military and intelligence units to increase Russia's offensive cyber capabilities,' Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in a statement.

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin announced new sanctions on Russian companies

The sanctions freeze any assets that those targeted may have in U.S. jurisdictions and bar Americans from doing business with them.

'The United States is committed to aggressively targeting any entity or individual working at the direction of the FSB whose work threatens the United States and will continue to utilize our sanctions authorities, including those provided under CAATSA, to counter the constantly evolving threats emanating from Russia.'

Treasury said the sanctions were a response to a number of cyberattacks, including last year's NotPetya attack, as well as intrusions into the U.S. energy grid and global network infrastructure.

It also said that Russia had been tracking undersea cables that carry the bulk of the world's telecommunications data.

The sanctions, which were imposed because of cyberattacks, were placed on five Russian firms and three of their executives

The companies affected are: Digital Security and its subsidiaries ERPScan and Embedi; the Kvant Scientific Research Institute; and Divetechnoservices.

The three sanctioned men are Aleksandr Lvovich Tribun; Oleg Sergeyevich Chirikov; and Vladimir Yakovlevich Kaganskiy; all of whom work for Divetechnoservices.

Treasury said Digital Security had provided material and technological support to Russia's Federal Security Services, or FSB.

It said Divetechnoservices had procured a variety of underwater equipment and diving systems, including a submarine, for Russian government agencies.Police have arrested three men on suspicion of conspiracy, kidnapping and murder stemming from the disappearance of two California teenagers in 2016.

Enrique Rios, 16, and Elijah Moore, 17, friends and classmates at Cesar Chavez Community School in Woodland, California, disappeared within weeks of each other in late 2016.

Two men were arrested in connection to their disappearance on Friday, followed by a third on Saturday.

The Yolo County Sheriff's Office has not released the identities of the three men, but the Davis Enterprise published their names after obtaining a search-warrant affidavit related to the case.

Three men have been arrested in connection to the 2016 disappearances of 17-year-old Elijah Moore, left, and 16-year-old Enrique Rios, right

They are 18-year-old Jesus Campos, 21-year-old Jonathan Froste and 21-year-old Chandale Shannon. All three are currently being housed at the Monroe Detention Center in Yolo County.

The affidavit states that Moore was killed after stealing a three-ounce jar of marijuana from Shannon, a reported drug dealer. Rios was also killed because he introduced Moore to Shannon and his associates.

'The robbery was a sign of disrespect on the street, one that cannot typically go unanswered by a drug dealer,' Woodland police Detective Richard Towle wrote in a January 2017 affidavit.

The affidavit also stated that Campos admitted to an unidentified acquaintance that he took part in Moore's murder.

Authorities have not said how the murders were carried out or whether the boys' bodies have been recovered.

Moore allegedly stole the weed from Shannon at gunpoint in mid-October 2016, according to the affidavit.

Shortly after, Shannon, Campos and Jonathan Froste's brother David, 27, reached out to Rios - who had introduced Moore to them - 'and asked him to party,' according to the affidavit.

The three picked Rios up at his house the night of October 17, and a neighbor reported seeing the teen get into a green Honda that matched the description of Shannon's vehicle.

That was the last time that Rios was seen.

His mother received several texts the following day, saying he was under pressure and needed to get away for awhile, but she said the texts did not sound like her son.

'It is believed someone used Enriques phone to conceal the events that occurred and lead family members/investigators to believe Enrique was alive,' Towle wrote. 'It appears Enrique was killed sometime during his contact with Chandale, Jesus and David since he has never been heard from again.'

Three weeks later, Moore went missing as well. He was last seen on November 4, 2016, on security footage at a check cashing facility, taking out $3,000. Two days later, he sent a text to his family saying he was going to the Bay Area, but it's believed that text was sent from someone else as well.

'Chandale, Jesus and David had motive to kill Elijah, since he had robbed them at gunpoint. It appears someone used Elijahs phone to conceal the events that happened and lead family members/investigators to believe Elijah was alive and in the Bay Area,' the affidavit reads.

Shannon was interviewed by police and initially denied ever having been robbed by Moore, but he later admitted that the robbery had taken place. He also told cops that he, Campos and David Froste spotted Moore out on the street a few days after the robbery. Froste got of the car, pointed a pair of scissors at Moore and took his money before the teen ran off. Shannon claimed that that was the last time he saw Moore, but cellphone activity shows that Moore was near all three of their residences two days after.

Shannon and Campos were arrested on Friday and are due in court Tuesday afternoon. Jonathan Froste was arrested Saturday and his court appearance is on Wednesday. At least one of the men face a murder charge. The other charges include kidnapping, conspiracy and being an accessory to a felony. It's unclear if David Froste, who is in prison for domestic violence and a drug charge, will face charges in connection to this case.

Moore and Rios' mothers issued a joint statement on Facebook on Sunday, saying they 'are aware that there has been a breaking story today on the case  thank you for all the hope and love sent this way.

'We need to know that our boys are okay. We want our boys to come home,' the wrote.

Separately, the Rios family issued a statement of their own.

'The Rios family would like their privacy respected at this time. They thank everyone for their love, support, and prayers during this hard time. We are stepping back and letting the Woodland Police and FBI do their jobs. Thank you,' the family said.

Moore's mother followed suit with an independent statement as well: 'Staying prayed up that justice will be SERVED!!! Its been a long time coming!!!! Our families need closure!!!'A fifth-grade student in New Hampshire who wants to stop bullying has shared with her school board that she's been verbally threatened with a gun and told she would be buried in her backyard.

Delanie Marcotte of Pollard Elementary School in Plaistow detailed the disturbing things that have been said to her by at least one classmate at the Timberlane Regional School Board meeting on Thursday.

'I have been threatened to get shot in the head by an AK-47 and buried in my backyard, and many other things,' Delanie said through tears, reading a letter she had previously written.

'I ask you: What are you going to do to protect me and my classmates against bullying?'

Scroll down for video

New Hampshire fifth grader Delanie Marcotte has told her school board that she's been verbally threatened with having a gun used on her and told she would be buried in her backyard, in a letter she hopes will help stop bullying

Delanie's letter said that her parents contacted the school about the bullying she's been experiencing, but it continues.

'I'm here to stand up for every kid who gets bullied,' she read, as the school board applauded.

'I'm very proud of you for coming,' a member of the board told Delanie.

Delanie was thanked by the school board for coming forward with her emotional story

Timberlane Regional School District Superintendent Earl Metzler told NBC10 Boston that Delanie's concerns have the district's 'undivided attention.'

'We will continue to encourage all students to speak up when they see, hear or experience something that makes them uncomfortable,' Metzler said.

'The same holds true for parents and community members. There are many vehicles at Timberlane to share your concerns including, but not limited to, the public comment portion of our School Board agenda.'

Delanie added more to the contect of her bullying when talking with NBC10, as well.

'I wanted to let them know I was getting bullied and that I didn't want it to happen anymore,' she told NBC10 Boston. 'They kick me and they say mean things, call me names - it is not nice.'

Delanie Marcotte is seen here preparing to take her seat to address the Timberlane Regional School Board meeting on Thursday

Todd Marcotte shared a video of Delanie reading her letter on Facebook, and it quickly went viral, which was unexpected by the fifth grader.

As of Monday, it had 68,000 views, was liked 667 times, and shared 1,253 times.

'I'm surprised, but it is kind of nice to have all this support,' Delanie told NBC News Washington.

Delanie's father shared his thoughts, as well.

'It is very hard to watch your child get bullied, hear about it day in and day out, and you do get very aggravated,' Marcotte said.

'It's an issue, and it's an issue that has to be addressed.'

Delanie's personal plea to the student she said is bullying her is simply for the meanness to end.

'I hope it all stops, and they'll stop being rude,' she said.A reality TV star caught with cocaine and a stun gun in a police raid on his bedroom walked free from court after a judge heard he felt suicidal at damaging his 'brand'.

David Lundy, 26, who reached the final of Survival of the Fittest, was in bed when police found the weapon and two wraps containing the narcotic at his Morden, South London, home on December 21 last year.

The model and bodybuilder told officers the cocaine was just, 'a little bit of sniff for a Christmas party.'

David Lundy, 26, pictured outside court, was in bed when police found the weapon and two wraps containing the narcotic at his Morden, South London, home on December 21 last year

The raid was before he made the final of the show - dubbed Love Island's winter alternative - which was shot in South Africa featuring teams of Boys v Girls.

Kingston Crown Court heard he got the stun gun from a security guard at a night club where he used to work before he rose to reality stardom.

Prosecutor Nicholas Dunham told the court: 'Police officers executing a search warrant went to David Lundy's home address. The door was opened by his mother, who said he was upstairs asleep in bed.

'Officers went upstairs and woke him up and asked if there were any guns or weapons in the room. He said there was a torch with an electric thing on the end in a chest of drawers.

The model and bodybuilder told officers the cocaine was just, 'a little bit of sniff for a Christmas party'

'The officer opened the drawer and found the black torch described by Mr Lundy.

'They searched the wardrobe and Mr Lundy directed them to two paper wraps and said: 'It's coke. Some stuff for a Christmas night out.'

'He was arrested and made no reply and taken to the police station, where he made no comment in interview.'

The 'torch' was tested by expert Nicola Hater, who said: 'It was a duel-purpose hand-held shock device, known as a stun gun with a torch attached to it.

'It was covered in black tape and the meta heads were flush with the outer casing. It was powered by an integral chargeable battery.'

The stun gun was tested and was in working order, delivering an electric charge.

Lundy was given the stun gun a year and a half earlier while employed as a bouncer at the West End's Hippodrome nightclub.

The court heard while he was working there he was given the object by a fellow employee.

Oliver Blunt, QC, defending Lundy, said: 'It was found in a chest of drawers. Mr Lundy had not handled it for over eighteen months and dumped it in a drawer. It was not even charged.

'As his personal circumstances are concerned he is now 26 years of age. He is of good character and he is by way of occupation a freelance model and personal trainer.

'In terms of his notoriety, he participated in a programme called 'Survival of the Fittest' it was an eight-week programme and in fact my client managed to reach the final.'

'A doctor's report describes the depressive and anxiety issues that this defendant suffers from and the fear engendered in him from damaging the brand he has worked so hard for.'

'He has had thoughts of suicide, but has been persuaded from that as his mother needs his assistance and support.'

The court heard Lundy is due to take over management of a government-run Woking fitness centre on July 1, on a salary of 23,500.

Lundy assists his mother Tracey Jane Lundy in caring for his sister Emma, 29, who has cerebral palsy and severe epilepsy.

'She has considerable [disabilities],' said Mr Blunt. 'His mother needs the assistance of David to care for her severely disabled daughter. She simply cannot cope without the assistance of her son.'

Recently Lundy's anti-anxiety prescription was doubled.

Mr Blunt added: 'Despite suffering from depression and anxiety himself he has helped others as an ambassador for that condition.'

'He is a volunteer with 'Kingston Street Pastors'. Mr Lundy has a great relationship with Kingston Police.'

The lawyer also produced a reference commending Lundy for staying with and helping a bleeding young woman suffering a serious head wound outside the Hippodrome.

The court also heard he has contracts with three Public Relations companies as he pursues a celebrity career and fear he may fall foul of their 'unacceptable behaviour' clauses and be dumped.

'There is a risk that Mr Lundy's pleas could result in termination of his contracts. That he has damaged his reputation,' added the QC. 'There are a lot of really positive features about this young man, who appears before the court for the first time and is of good character.'

Judge Georgina Kent told Lundy: 'It's dangerous because weapons like these can be used to incapacitate and in the wrong hands be used to inflict serious harm.

'It is sold in some countries as self-defence, but not in this country.

'You have no previous convictions. From what I have heard you are a hard-working man of positive character with medical issues of your own and relied on by your family.

'You worked as a doorman. You knew this weapon was prohibited and potentially dangerous.

'As a fitness instructor you do not need me to tell you how dangerous Class A drugs are.'

Lundy admitted one count of possession of a prohibited weapon and one count of possession of class A drugs.

He was sentenced to six months jail suspended for 12 months with 120 hours unpaid work and fined 75 for possession of cocaine and ordered to pay 670 costs.Former President Barack Obama is still playing Democratic power broker - this time with his eye toward 2020 and he's holding secret meetings with at least nine potential challengers to President Donald Trump.

The would-be contenders getting one-on-one time with the former commander in chief include Senator Bernie Sanders, Senator Elizabeth Warren, former Vice President Joe Biden and former Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick.

The meetings have taken place at Obama's personal office on the third floor of the World Wildlife Fund building in Washington D.C., Politico reported.

Former President Barack Obama is meeting with Democrats who are considering running for president in 2020

Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders has met with Obama

Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren has met with Obama

Obama remains close to his former Vice President Joe Biden. The two talk on the phone often and Biden will reportedly make a decision about running for president after the 2018 election

All the sitdowns were arranged quietly, in part because Obama gets frustrated when his private meetings become public fodder.

And they illustrate the range of ambitious Democrats looking for the blessing of the last president, who has remained the reluctant leader of his party, which no longer has one prominent figure head to lead it.

Obama is not making any promises of support to these candidates, the news website reported, and will not endorse in the race until a nominee emerges.

The conversations tend to go long - an hour or more - and quickly the philosophical waxings of the former president. He'll give his thoughts on campaigning and make sure party bigwigs and rich donors are returning the contenders' calls.

Obama, who campaigned heavily for Hillary Clinton in 2016, seems more interested in playing a backroom power broker, quiet counselor, power behind the throne type of role heading into the next presidential contest.

The former president has issued few public pronouncements against Trump but is said to be privately concerned about how Democrats are handling their response and how the party will do in the November midterm elections.

In the meantime, he's been meeting with Democrats who have an interest in winning the White House two years from now.

Sanders requested his meeting, held in mid-March, sources told Politico. The Vermont Senator, who challenged Clinton in the 2016 Democratic primary, has more respect for Obama than he lets on.

They two men talked about the future of the party and their respective roles in it but did not discuss specifically if Sanders would run for president again in 2020.

Warren, the liberal senator from Massachusetts, has had two meetings with Obama since he left the Oval Office.

The first was in the spring of 2017 after she said she was 'troubled' by the $400,000 Obama was getting to speak at a Wall Street investment firm. Adding that money in politics is 'a snake that slithers through Washington, and that it shows up in so many different ways here.'

Obama responded by inviting her to meet. And while she did not apologize for the comments she acknowledged what she'd kicked up with them.

The second meeting, in April 2018, last around 90 minutes and was more cordial. They reportedly spoke about Trump.

Meanwhile, Obama remains close to his former vice president - their bro-mance received much chatter on social media - and they speak often by phone. Biden also stopped by for an in-person meeting in January but will wait until after the midterm elections to decide about running for president in 2020.

Former Massachusetts Democratic Governor Deval Patrick has met with Obama and sits on the board of his foundation

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti has met with Obama

Democratic Senate candidate Jason Kander has met with Obama

South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg has met with Obama

The two men haven't spoken of the presidential contest. Obama helped shaped the 2016 race when he quietly hinted at Biden not to run against Clinton.

This time aournd Obama is said to be waiting on Biden to decide what he wants to do.

Deval Patrick is a personal friend whom Obama and many in his inner circle want to see run. Patrick, however, is on the board of the Obama Foundation, which gives the two men an additional cover to any meetings.

Obama is also meeting with some lesser tier contenders, such as Mitch Landrieu, the former New Orleans mayor; Jason Kander, the failed 2016 Missouri Senate candidate; Pete Buttigieg, the mayor of South Bend, Indiana; and Eric Garcetti, the mayor of Los Angeles, who hasn't been to the Washington office, but got a private meeting when Obama was in Los Angeles in May.

Then there are those rumored to want to run in 2020 who haven't been through Obama's door: New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, Nevada Senator Kamala Harris and former Virginia GovernorTerry McAuliffe.

New Jersey Senator Cory Booker stopped by last year but hasn't been back since.

Much of these conversations between contender and veteran have consisted of Obama holding forth on how Democrats should handle the 2018 midterm election.

His advice, Politico reports, is to not chase shiny objects and not hyperventilate over a single tweet.

Former New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu has met with Obama

California Senator Kamala Harris is thought to be a 2020 contender but hasn't met with Obama

New Jersey Senator Cory Booker has met with Obama

New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand is thought to be a 2020 contender but hasn't met with Obama

The former president is also writing his presidential memoir, for which he has fallen behind schedule and it has no release date. The Obamas got a joint $65 million deal for their retrospective books. Michelle Obama's forthcoming memoir, 'Becoming,' is set for release on Nov. 13.

Additionally he's fundraising for his foundation and making the rounds of the paid speech circuit.

Democratic officials and major donors have begged the former president to take a more public role.

But Obama has been reluctant to be a public face of the Democrats. Privately, however, he is fundraising for the Democratic National Committee and has appeared at fundraisers for Senators, such as Claire McCaskill of Missouri, who is in a tough race this year.

He's also met with other prominent Democrats such as former Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid. And Obama speaks regularly to Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer and House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi. Democratic National Committee Chairman Tom Perez also checks in regularly.President Donald Trump headed a 14-member delegation that included seven women that during his first summit event in Singapore in advance of his meeting with Kim Jong-un.

Among those who accompanied him are several top female Korea specialists on the National Security Council  including one who negotiated on behalf of American hostages held in Korea during the Obama administration.

Trump lunched with South Korean Prime Minister Lee Nak-yeon in advance of his summit meeting with North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un, which is set for Tuesday morning local time.

His delegation for the earlier event included White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders, as well as several top aides from the National Security Council.

Among them were Mira Ricardel, the deputy national security advisor who was brought on by security advisor John Bolton. They met with a mostly-male Korean delegation.

White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders, U.S. National Security Advisor John Bolton, White House Chief of Staff John Kelly and other U.S. officials are seen at the Istana in Singapore June 11, 2018. The 14-member delegation (including President Trump) for a meeting with the South Korean prime minister included seven women

Also attending was Sarah Tinsley, who previously ran Bolton's PAC and was his deputy when he was U.S. ambassador to the UN.

Joining the delegation were Stephanie Syptak-Ramnath, the Charge daffaires, at the U.S. Embassy in Singapore, and Allison Hooker, another NSC staffer.

President Donald Trump (L) participates in a working luncheon hosted by Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong (not seen) at the Istana, Singapore on June 11, 2018

In this handout provided by the Singapore's Ministry of Communications and Information (MCI) shows Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong (4th from Right), with U.S. President Donald Trump (not pictured) on June 11, 2018 in Singapore, Singapore

North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un (middle C) is escorted by North Korean bodyguards as he walks from the North to the Military Demarcation Line that divides the two Koreas to meet with his South Korean counterpart at the truce village of Panmunjom on April 27, 2018

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, center, walks in Marina Bay, Singapore Monday, June 11, 2018 ahead of the summit with U.S. President Donald Trump

Allison Hooker is the former director of Korean affairs at the NSC

Stephanie Syptak-Ramnath is the Charge daffaires, at the U.S. Embassy in Singapore

Mira Ricardel, the deputy national security advisor who was brought on by security advisor John Bolton

Brenan Richards is a Southeast Asia affairs specialist at the NSC

National Security Advisor John Bolton is on the trip, and brought several of his security aides

Hooker joined the delegation to the Olympics in South Korea, although her name got left off the initial list. The former director of Korean affairs at the NSC, in the Obama administration she helped negotiate the release of American hostages from North Korea along with former Director of Intelligence James Clapper, who has come under fire from President Trump.

She also accompanied Ivanka Trump to a dinner hosted by South Korean President Moon Jae-in, the Korea Herald reported in February.

Trump's delegation in Singapore 1. Secretary Mike Pompeo 2. General John Kelly 3. Ambassador John Bolton 4. Mr. Stephen Miller 5. Ms. Sarah Sanders 6. Ms. Mira Ricardel 7. Mr. Matthew Pottinger 8. Ms. Sarah Tinsley 9. Ms. Stephanie Syptak-Ramnath 10. Ambassador Michael McKinley 11. Ms. Allison Hooker 12. Ms. Brenan Richards 13. Ms. Melissa Brown Advertisement

Brenan Richards, another member of the delegation, is a Southeast Asia affairs specialist at the NSC, and Melissa Brown is Counsellor for Economic and Political Affairs at the US Embassy in Singapore.

At the big meeting with Kim Jong-un  the first North Korean leader to meet a U.S. president  it will be more of a men's club.

According to a White House statement the delegation includes Trump, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, White House Chief of Staff John Kelly, and Bolton.

The initial meeting will be one-on-one with just translators.

For a working lunch, the group will be joined by Sanders, U.S. Ambassador Sung Kim, who is taking a lead in the talks, and National Security Council Senior Director for Asia Matt Pottinger.

Trump expressed optimism about his summit with Kim during the lunch with Lee.

"As you know, we've got a very interesting meeting meeting tomorrow," Trump said

"We've got very interesting meeting in particular tomorrow, and I just think it's going to work out very nicely."A leader of the Aryan Brotherhood of Texas has been sentenced to life in prison for murdering a man with a power drill over $600 in 2016.

Michael Lynn Rogers, 48, was given life without the possibility of parole on Friday for the torture killing of Alberto Gonzalez.

Gonzalez, 34, was killed at Rogers' home in Dallas before his body was dumped and set on fire next to a pond in July 2016.

High-ranking member of the Aryan Brotherhood of Texas, Michael Lynn Rogers (left), 48, was sentenced to life in prison on Friday for murdering Alberto Gonzalez (right) in 2016

According to Dallas News, Gonzalez had been beaten, hit with a hammer, sexually assaulted with a broom handle and worked over with a power drill.

Court records show that Gonzalez was not affiliated with the white supremacist gang and had been at Rogers' house to buy drugs.

That's when Rogers, who is second-in-command of the Aryan Brotherhood of Texas, accused him of stealing $600.

Rogers, who is also known as Texas Mike, received an automatic sentence of life without the possibility of parole.

However, during an interview with police, Rogers tried to pin the murder on two other men.

He told police that Gregory Collier, 29, and John Paul Street, 33, were also at his home at the time of Gonzalez's murder, according to the Dallas News.

Collier and Street have also been charged with murder in Gonzalez's death.

But Collier received a 10-year sentence for a reduced kidnapping charge as part of a plea agreement for testifying against Rogers.

Gregory Collier (left), 29, and John Paul Street (right), 33, were also at his home at the time of Gonzalez's murder. Collier received a 10-year sentence for a reduced kidnapping charge as part of a plea agreement for testifying against Rogers

WHAT IS THE ARYAN BROTHERHOOD? The Aryan Brotherhood is a white supremacist group that has its origins in the American prison system. The group is believed to have started at San Quentin State Prison in California, when the prisons began to be desegregated in the 1960s. With prisoners of all colors in the general population, convicts began to organize into gangs by race. The group hasnow grown to include an estimated 15,000 to 20,000 members - both in and out of jail. Aryan Brotherhood members are often identifiable by the tattoos they are given upon initiation, including swastikas, shamrocks, Celtic symbols. In an analysis of white supremacist groups by Slate in 2009, the outlet said that the Aryan Brotherhood was 'further outside the white supremacy mainstream' and was largely independent of other groups. The report said the group was 'more flexible' than other groups since 'their criminal goals usually take precedence over ideology.' Advertisement

Collier and his girlfriend, Shelvie Spriggs, witnessed Gonzalez's murder.

Both testified that Rogers was mad about his missing wallet and started hitting Gonzalez.

Collier claimed that Street, who is a member of the White Knights, then grabbed a hammer and bashed Gonzalez's legs, according to the Dallas News.

Spriggs testified that she could hear Rogers demanding to know where his wallet was while Gonzalez was 'crying out for help'.

'You've got the wrong person,' Gonzalez said, according to Spriggs.

Gonzalez had four holes drilled in his head, one in his chest and one in his abdomen.Sir Martin Sorrell has been accused by two WPP employees of visiting a Mayfair brothel - after he 'strenuously' denied claims he used company cash to pay for a prostitute.

The colleagues were having a drink on June 7 2017 when they claim they saw the advertising mogul entering 50a Shepherd Market - a den of iniquity in one of London's remaining red light districts.

The friends, who haven't been named, are also said to have taken a photo of the building and this would later be used during the WPP misconduct probe, the Financial Times reported today.

Sir Martin left WPP, the company he founded more than 30 years ago, in April following allegations of personal misconduct. WPP carried out an inquiry into allegations that he misused company funds, but the details of the investigation were never disclosed.

Over the weekend, it was then alleged in the Wall Street Journal that the probe looked into whether he used company cash to pay between 250 and 350 for a sex worker.

The colleagues who claim they saw Sir Martin on Shepherd Market stayed quiet until the millionaire's long-serving chauffeur was sacked suddenly in October - and then one went to bosses with the alleged brothel sighting.

The advertising guru has denied claims he paid for a prostitute with company cash while at the helm of WPP. MailOnline has approached Sir Martin's spokesman for comment on the latest brothel claims but he is yet to respond.

Two WPP staff drinking in Mayfair claimed they saw Sir Martin Sorrell entering the white door of 50a Shepherd Market (pictured), which is a brothel next to a bookies

The brothel in Mayfair, central London had the sign 'beautiful young lady, please knock' (left) on the door (right) today

Sir Martin denies paying between 250 and 350 near the company's Mayfair HQ and putting it on expenses last June

A spokesman for WPP said: 'We are not able to comment on individual cases or specific allegations, but everyone at WPP should feel able to raise concerns and to have them listened to and acted upon as appropriate.

'The board takes this matter very seriously, and has tasked the new management team with reviewing how our policies are implemented in practice and where and how we need to make improvements going forward.

'WPP has had an independently operated "Right to Speak" helpline for more than 15 years, which is available to all employees and suppliers who wish to raise issues on a confidential basis. We are redoubling our efforts to ensure that everyone is aware of this facility and encourage anyone with concerns to make use of it.'

Sir Martin, 73, who at his peak earned more than 70 million in one year, denies the allegations with friends claiming he is the victim of a smear campaign by disgruntled staff.

He quit as WPP boss two months ago after the company began an investigation into his conduct.

The Financial Times claimed today that two WPP workers were drinking in a street bar in Shepherd Market when they said they saw him enter a flat next to a bookmakers, which turned out to be brothel.

They are claimed to have taken a photo of its scruffy white door that would later form part of the WPP misconduct investigation.

The sacking of his long-serving chauffeur last October is said to have prompted them to speak out.

He is said to have ferried the 'ad king' around London in a Range Rover for 15 years.

But he was allegedly fired after he picked up Sir Martins wife Cristiana in Mayfair at 2am but wouldn't come back to their Belgravia home at 7am the same morning fearing it would be unsafe for him to drive.

Six months later Sir Martin would resign - an astonishing downfall for the man who founded WPP in 1985 and bestrode the ad industry like a colossus.

The FT also claimed to have spoken to staff who worked for him and claimed it was like being in an abusive relationship.

His six executive assistants in the US and the UK said they were paid at least 80,000 a year but called it 'combat pay'.

One claimed: 'He was brutal and inhuman in how he dealt with his assistants, said one former executive. He would say "youre f****** idiots, whats f****** wrong with you?

Others said he regularly swore at junior staff, calling a worker approaching retirement a 'pudding' and others 'bozos'.

Sorrell denies both sleeping with a prostitute and misusing company funds. Pictured: Sorrell with his wife Lady Cristiana Sorrell

Sir Martin strongly denies the claims and is said to be 'pretty cheesed off about it' - and this ire has clearly fired him up because he has already started a new business to rival WPP.

But A friend told The Times today: 'He denies the allegation that he saw a prostitute. He understands that the allegation was made by a disgruntled employee. If you run a business with 200,000 employees for 30 years, some will fall out with you'.

The mogul's spokesman also said: 'Sir Martin signed a non-disclosure agreement when he stepped down which precludes him from discussing any of the circumstances surrounding his departure.

'He has rigidly adhered to this obligation and will continue to do so. As regards the allegations which have appeared in The Wall Street Journal, Sir Martin strenuously denies them. He will be making no further comment at this time'.

In 2005 he paid a then record divorce settlement of 29 million to his wife of 33 years, Lady Sandra (pictured). He went on to marry economist Cristiana Falcone in 2008

Sources close to Sir Martin say he understood the need for an investigation despite his clear denial about the prostitute claims

But he was said to be upset by the 'aggressive' grilling from the firm's US lawyers, Wilmer Hale, during a meeting in New York.

Rumours have swirled about what impropriety Sorrell was being accused of since news of the probe broke in early April.

After weeks of speculation, the authoritative Wall Street Journal reported that a probe into his conduct had investigated the claim. It is unclear what the inquiry had found, the paper said.

He strenuously denies the allegations, which have been circulating in the City for several weeks.

WPP had said it was investigating its former chief executive over an allegation of 'personal misconduct' but will not comment further.

Sorrell denies both sleeping with a prostitute and misusing company funds.

WPP declined to say what its investigation had involved when Sorrell stepped down on April 14, walking away with 20million in share options.

He is understood to have decided to quit WPP despite denying the accusation against him because of a breakdown in relations with the board.

Sorrell is thought to be worth 500 million. In 2005 he paid a then record divorce settlement of 29 million to his wife of 33 years, Sandra. He went on to marry economist Cristiana Falcone in 2008.

A source close to Sir Martin told the Mail on Sunday: 'He is pretty cheesed off about it, but there is not much he can say. But it has turned out to be a very murky, unpleasant business.

'He has no complaint about there being an investigation if there needed to be one, but he felt it was badly conducted.

'He doesn't want to sit down at the same table with those people on the board again. He feels that at the age of 73, with a second wife and a 15-month-old baby, he didn't want to put up with it. He thought, 'sod it, I'm out of here.' '

The advertising guru has already bought a company best known for making wire baskets and plans to spend 40million of his own cash to take on his former ad agency in one of the most dramatic comeback in British business history.

Famously WPP was a company best known for making wire and plastic products [WPP] before he took it over.

Sir Martin, 73, will be chairman of the listed firm Derriston Capital, as part of a plan under which Derriston will buy S4 Capital and turn it into an international media business  in the quickest return to the London Stock Exchange in history.

Sir Martin's return has caused waves in the city.

Advertising expert Marc Mendoza, founder of 360 degree media said: 'WPP should be checking their client contracts and they should be all over their top 5 clients because although he hasn't get anything to technically offer them yet his contacts book is unrivalled.

'He will have the direct lines and emails of all of every one of the top spending advertisers in the UK and abroad and no doubt would have told them about his new plans over the last 24 hours because he would have been up all night doing it'.

When asked how unusual the millionaire's return to work was he said: 'Unusual is not the right word, it's unprecedented.

'Most people who left the business after 30-plus years in the business in a high pressure position would look at the summer ahead and think "I'll have a bit of that" and take six months off'.

He added: 'I don't think that Sir Martin has had six weeks off and he has probably spent five weeks of that plotting this comeback so really he hasn't had six days off'.The University of Missouri has signed a $1.3million contract with a public relations firm to repair the lingering negative effects of race-based protests on campus in the fall of 2015.

Freshman enrollment dropped by more than 33 percent in the two years since protests based on allegations of racism on campus and an apathetic administration drew national media attention.

In the face of a $30million revenue hole, the school has laid off about 350 employees as it scrambles to rebuild its image - at a hefty cost.

A report from The Chronicle of Higher Education revealed that the school signed a three-year, $1.3million contract with branding firm 160over90 in May.

The University of Missouri is spending $1.3million on a public relations firm in an effort to repair its reputation following racial protests on campus in 2015 that drove enrollment down

The protests, lead by a group of black students under the name 'Concerned Student 1950', above, were centered around allegations of racism on campus and inaction by administrators

At the firm's recommendation Mizzou has spent $1.8million on marketing efforts - about $230 per student.

A spokesperson for the university said that it's been promised a 14 percent bump in enrollment for Fall 2018.

That bump would put the freshman class count at about 4,700, on par with the number from Fall 2016, which was 23 percent lower than the 6,200 count in 2015, before the protests.

Those protests were instigated by a group of black students who called for the resignation of UM System president Tim Wolf in 2015, citing a series of racist events on campus.

They drew national media attention especially after now-fired communications professor Melissa Click was caught on video threatening a student journalist.

The protests received national media attention especially after a video of communications professor Melissa Click, pictured, threatening a journalism student went viral

According to the school's admissions office and college counselors around the state, the events created a widespread negative perception among prospective students and their parents that still persists nearly three years later.

Alexander Cartwright, who was appointed as chancellor last year, said that it has been difficult for the university to rebuild trust.

'We were caught off guard,' he told the Chronicle.

The administration is optimistic about working with 160over90, which has also worked with other schools including Texas A&M University and the University of Wisconsin.

'All of our competitors have significant efforts in this area,' Cartwright said. 'It's an area we haven't explored the way that others have up until now.'

Since hiring the firm, the University of Wisconsin has seen a $4.6million increase in donations, a 16 percent increase in applications and the school moved up six spots in the U.S. News and World Report rankings.

Similarly, Texas A&M has seen a seven percent increase in donations from alumni.

Mizzou has reportedly already received a 'significant amount of increased support from legislators, alumni and the general public' since bringing the agency on.An autistic mute man was 'mauled to the bone' by two vicious Rottweilers and left bleeding out on a gravel road with at least 60 puncture wounds to his body.

Oliver Beaumont suffered gruesome wounds from the two dogs while he was walking along a quiet road in New Zealand at the weekend.

The 22-year-old was rushed to hospital with wounds to his head and face, including 'one bite so deep it was down to his skull and required extensive surgery'.

Due to his disability the disabled man was completely powerless, unable to scream for help and at the mercy of the savage animals.

Oliver Beaumont (pictured) suffered terrible bites from two dogs while he was walking along a quiet road at the weekend which left him hospitalised and requiring surgery

The young man's aunt, Amanda Colmore-Williams, set up a fundraising page to raise money for her nephew's recovery.

'Due to his disability Oliver could not vocalise his suffering during the attack so he sustained a prolonged ordeal which was only alerted by the dogs barking,' Ms Colmore-Williams wrote.

'He is a sweet kind young man who would never hurt a soul and this attack will severely impact his life both emotionally and physically.

'Any money donated will go directly to Oli to help heal the pain and try to give him back some quality of life.'

The 22-year-old, who lives at home, goes on daily walks to 'enjoy nature' bringing him 'joy in life' until the terrifying dog attack.

A neighbour saw Mr Beaumont moments before the incident after he heard dogs barking at Great North Road in Winton, in New Zealand's far south, Stuff reported.

The witness, who called police, said one dog grabbed the 22-year-old's leg while the other attacked his head.

Southland District Council environmental services general manager Bruce Halligan said the two Rottweilers were impounded and authorities were investigating the incident.Advertisement

A small explosion at the summit of Hawaii's erupting Kilauea Volcano on Sunday sent ash spewing into the air, creating a driving hazard for roads on parts of the Big Island, the US Geological Survey said.

Lava fountains from a fissure in the volcano reached as high as 180 feet (55 meters) from Saturday night into Sunday, pushing flows of molten rock into the Pacific Ocean, it said.

Kilauea, on Hawaii's Big Island, first started erupting on May 3, resulting in lava oozing over residential communities and heading towards the Pacific Ocean. The lava first met the ocean on May 20.

Lava from the Kilauea volcano erupts from a fissure and forms a river of lava flowing down to Kapoho on Sunday

A small explosion at the summit of Hawaii's erupting Kilauea Volcano on Sunday sends ash spewing into the air

Lava fountains from a fissure in the volcano reached as high as 180 feet (55 meters) from Saturday night into Sunday

'Seismic activity at the crater continues with gas explosions and ash eruptions under 10,000 feet (3,050 metres). While the eruption is never predictable, conditions appear stable for the moment,' Richard Rapoza, a spokesman for Hawaii Emergency Management Agency, said in an email.

The eruption, which entered its 39th day on Sunday, stands as the most destructive in the United States since at least the violent 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens in Washington state.

The major eruption reduced hundreds of square miles to wasteland and killed nearly 60 people, according to geologist Scott Rowland, a volcanologist at the University of Hawaii at Manoa.

Kilauea, on Hawaii's Big Island, first start erupting on May 3, resulting in lava oozing over residential communities

Lava from the Kilaeua volcano can be seen flowing into the Pacific Ocean near Kapoho Bay and Vactionland on the Big Island

The sky's deep orange hue reflects the fiery volcano eruption in Leilani Estates. The lava has already destroyed 600 homes

However, the eruption is expected to impact the state's marine and animal life for decades as the environment changes in the wake of the lava flow.

When lava - which emits sulfur dioxide and hydriodic acid - mixes with water, it changes the acidity in the water.

If the acidity changes enough, it could have a deleterious effect on sensitive marine life, which would either leave the area or stay away from it in the future, he said.

In addition, when lava meets water, it sheds tiny, glassy particles into the water, which Samsone said would be harmful when passing through animals with gills.

Hawaii National Guard soldiers were spotted stopped near Pahoa while examining the lava flow covering the road Friday

Lava from the Kilauea volcano paints Hawaii's normally crisp, blue skies orange in Leilani Estates on Saturday

The sky turns orange as lava flow covers a road near Pahoa on Hawaii's Big Island on Friday. Kilauea began erupting on May 3

'On the shoreline, the differences will be night and day,' Frank Samsone, a professor of oceanography at UH Manoa, previously told KHON.

Samsone said that it could take hundreds of years for the marine life to return to the state it was in prior to the volcano eruption.

No one has died in this Hawaii eruption but about 600 homes have been swallowed by lava flows from Kilauea since May 3, Hawaii County Mayor Harry Kim said last week.

Vacationland, a private development believed to comprise about 160 homes, was completely erased, and at least 330 houses were devoured by lava at Kapoho Beach Lots, Kim said.Disneyland quietly revealed it has completed its long-awaited update to the infamous bride auction scene in its Pirates of the Caribbean ride.

The ride was shuttered in April to give the theme park's 'Imagineers' a chance to finally rejigger the ride, which had featured a scene of a woman being auctioned off for marriage to a host of leering pirates since 1967.

'Pirates of the Caribbean at Disneyland park is back from refurbishment  just in time for summer,' according to a low-key post on Disneyland's official blog.

Scroll down for video

Redd is the latest addition to Disneyland's Pirates of the Caribbean ride, which reopened Friday. She was added to the ride when Disney removed the infamous bride auction scene

As had previously been done at Florida's Walt Disney World and Disneyland Paris, the ride, open for business again as of June 8, has scuttled the controversial bride auction featuring bound, animatronic women cowering below a banner reading 'Auction: Take a Wench for Bride,' while a redheaded animatronic preens on the auction block.

'Hey, are you selling her by the pound?' a pirate could be heard yelling, while an auctioneer told the woman to, 'Shift yer cargo, dearie, show 'em your larboard side.'

In the now updated scene, the redheaded woman  named 'Redd'  has 'switched sides to become a pirate whos just pillaged the towns rum supply,' according to the Disneyland blog.

The new Redd has a jaunty pirate hat on her head as she cockily brandishes a rifle while overseeing a line of townspeople offering up their treasures to the invading pirates. The other brides candidates are gone now, too.

Before the ride revamp, pirate Redd preened in front of leering pirates, showing off her legs while being auctioned off as a bride with other townswomen

The updated Pirates of the Caribbean ride has eliminated the infamous bride auction scene (seen here) which has been part of the attraction since 1967

In a video accompanying the blog post, it was also revealed that the ride's update includes the return of a narration about a curse of the treasure, as well as a transition scene featuring a pirate caught in a booby trap.

Ride fans had mixed opinions about the ride's Redd update, according to the LA Times.

Some said that the auction scene was now 'flat out embarrassing,' while others noted that, 'Whoever thought of this was right on the money'.

Although Disneyland did not address the reasoning behind the ride update in its blog post, in the past Disney officials said that Imagineers have been considering making the update for some time.

In July 2017, Kathy Mangum, a senior vice president with Imagineering, told the LA Times that they were looking to introduce a strong, female character to the ride, which would speak to fans of recent Disney faves including Brave's Merida, Frozen's Elsa and Moana.

While referring to Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign, Mangum noted, 'there's an advancement in pop culture and society, and the timing felt right. We didn't link it to any one initiative, but as we talked about it, we couldn't think of a really valid reason for keeping it as it is.'

Disney Imagineers have a history of tinkering and updating rides to give visitors new experiences or to reflect changes in cultural sensitivity.

The Pirates ride had previously been tweaked to alter a scene in which pirates chased fleeing women to having them chase after the booze the women are carrying on a tray.

Elsewhere in the theme park, frontier rifles were eliminated from Tom Sawyer Island and a person shot by an arrow was also removed.An illegal immigrant cow has been saved from execution after wandering across the EU border between Bulgaria and Serbia.

Penka, a pregnant red cow from the village of Kopilovtsi, Bulgaria, had been due to receive the death penalty for illegally re-entering Bulgaria after a brief trip into neighbouring Serbia.

But after a petition to save Penka went viral and received attention from both the European Commission and Sir Paul McCartney - lawmakers have announced the insubordinate bovine will be allowed to live.

In a statement released on Monday, the Bulgarian Food Safety Agency announced that Penka will be allowed to return to her farm by the end of the week after undergoing a series of tests to prove she is in good health.

Penka is Bulgarian red cow who is currently pregnant and due to give birth in just three weeks

Paul McCartney shared a viral petition to save Penka from execution which received over 30,000 signatures online

'Laboratory analyzes of the cow, who stayed for 15 days in Serbia and crossed the border, were negative for the diseases investigated,' the statement read.

'The test protocols are due to be prepared and the animal remains at this stage quarantined in the village of Kopilovtsi. It is expected at the end of the week that the animal be returned for cultivation in the site in the village of Mazarachevo.

Penka, who is due in around three months' time, wandered westwards away from her herd near the village of Kopilovtsi, straying over the border into non-EU Serbia.

Two weeks later she was returned to her owner Ivan Haralampiev by a farmer over the frontier.

However, Bulgarian officials said the animal must be put down because of strict EU rules.

Penka was due to be executed because she didn't have the proper paperwork - despite being given a clean bill of health by Serbian vets.

Animal lovers soon launched a petition on Change.org to have the cow absolved of her crimes.

And by the time of the announcement on Sunday it had received over 30,000 signatures.

Although Serbian vets wrote a statement saying Penka was in a perfect condition and fit to return home, Bulgarian authorities said it should be put down

The campaign even drew the attention of former Beatle Sir Paul McCartney who tweeted on Friday last week; 'I think it would be really nice to see this pregnant cow given a reprieve. Shes done nothing wrong. Join us if you agree.'

Her case was even debated at the European Commission in Brussels on Friday - with ministers waiving the European import rules she had fallen foul of.

'She had left the borders of the EU' and cannot be imported back into the European Union,' her owner Ivan Haralampiev told public BNT television as he pleaded for his cow to be saved.

'A vet comes and orders it to be immediately culled!'

The farmer also lamented how the cow was able to saunter over the border unchecked in the first place.

'How come nobody attempted to stop it?' he said.

Although Serbian vets wrote a statement saying Penka was in a perfect condition and fit to return home, Bulgarian authorities said she would have to be put down without delay.

'It is not for us to decide. We are only implementing rules that come from Brussels,' vet expert Lyubomir Lyubomirov said.

According to the European Comission's guidelines for transporting bovine animals across borders, cows like Penka are required to be presented at border checkpoints with documentation verifying they are healthy.

Official EU guidelines state: 'Bovine animals being presented for entry into the EU must be accompanied by a veterinary health certificate.

'An official veterinarian in the authorised non-EU country must sign the certificate to attest that all the relevant conditions in the certificate have been met.

'The certification must accompany the animals en-route to the EU and when they are presented for entry into the EU at an approved EU Border Inspection Post.'

EU rules state that Penka is technically an illegal immigrant having failed to provide the correct documentation at the borderSerial killer Danny Bible (pictured) is scheduled to die by lethal injection in Texas on June 27

Lawyers for the 'ice pick killer' have filed a civil rights suit arguing the death row inmate is too sick and frail to be executed.

Serial killer Danny Bible, 66, is scheduled to die by lethal injection in Texas on June 27.

But he has a 'galaxy of medical issues' that mean his execution could be botched, his attorney Jeremy Schepers told the Houston Chronicle.

He has Parkinson's, bad veins and a number of other conditions that increase the possibility of his execution becoming a painful and prolonged process - a violation of the Eight Amendment's ban on cruel and unusual punishment.

'Mr Bible is an elderly, frail man who has been confined to a wheelchair for the last 15 years and his health is rapidly deteriorating,' Schepers told the newspaper.

He said recent medical evaluations confirmed that Bible's veins are unsuitable for placing an IV.

'Any attempts to carry out the execution will amount to torture, cause excruciating pain and violate his constitutional rights,' Schepers added.

'Texas will almost certainly join Alabama and Ohio and add itself to the unconscionable list of botched executions in America,' Schepers added.

Texas' preparation for a lethal injection involves placing two IV lines into the inmate while they are strapped in a gurney.

It is a part of the process that press and witnesses are not allowed to observe.

Since Bible becomes shot of breath when lying down, his lawyers say he is likely to be 'choking and gasping for air' during this process.

They argue that a different method, such as using a firing squad or nitrogen gas, would alleviate his suffering.

Bible's legal claim names the Texas Department of Criminal Justice and 'anonymous execution team members' among its defendants.

His fight for a reprieve comes just months after the execution of Doyle Hamm, who has lymphoma, was called off in Alabama.

Bible (pictured) he has a 'galaxy of medical issues' that mean his execution could be botched, his lawyers argue

It was called off after officials were forced to call Hamm's execution when the lethal injection team spent hours search for a vein before giving up in February.

Bible was sent to death row in 2003 after being convicted of the 1979 icepick slaying of Inez Deaton, who went to his house in Houston to use a telephone and was found later stabbed 11 times, raped and dumped on the bank of a bayou.

The 20-year-old's slaying went unsolved for nearly two decades.

He wasn't tied to her death until 1998 when he was arrested in Fort Myers, Florida, for a Louisiana rape and told authorities about killing Deaton in Houston and his sister-in-law Tracy Powers and her baby west of Fort Worth in North Texas.

He also killed Powers' roommate Pam Hudgins and left her body hanging from a fence.

Bible previously served prison time after pleading guilty in 1984 in Palo Pinto County to killing Hudgins.

Texas Department of Criminal Justice records show he arrived in prison with a 25-year sentence for that slaying plus 20 years for a robbery conviction in Harris County, but was released in February 1992 to Montana.

While out of prison on a form of parole known as mandatory supervision, Bible 'lived a life of extreme violence,' court documents say.

At his capital murder trial in Houston for Deaton's death in 2003, prosecutors provided evidence of robberies, thefts, assaults and abductions, including the rape of an 11-year-old girl in Montana and his confessions to repeated sexual assaults of young nieces from 1996 to 1998.

Bible contended in his appeal that his lawyers, during the punishment phase of his capital murder trial in Houston, were deficient for not objecting to prosecutors' re-enacting a rape and how Bible tried to stuff his victim into a duffel bag.

He also said in the appeal that he is disabled and in permanent pain after the prison van carrying him to death row in 2003 crashed, killing a corrections officer and the driver of another vehicle involved in the wreck.President Donald Trump lawyer Michael Cohen and his wife Lauren Cohen were seen out in New York City on Sunday, apparently taking a break from the media storm surrounding Mr. Cohen's current legal troubles.

The couple were spotted after having lunch at Tribeca Grill, an upscale steakhouse owned in part by actor Robert De Niro and located on the west side of lower Manhattan.

The Cohens' choice for their mid-day meal also happens to be a former favorite spot of disgraced Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein, who was brought down by allegations of sexual assault and misconduct, first reported in October.

President Donald Trump lawyer Michael Cohen and his wife Lauren Cohen were seen out in New York City on Sunday, after leaving lunch at Tribeca Grill in lower Manhattan

Mrs. Cohen, who is rarely photographed in public with her husband, wore a smart, navy blazer, left open over top of a white tee.

Mr. Cohen, who is still embroiled in a legal battle over the confidentiality of documents seized in the FBI's raid of his home and office, wore a sport coat on the chilly day.

The latest in the Cohen courtroom saga is that a federal judge ruled on Friday that Trump would have to publicly object to documents he seeks to have protected from prosecutors' examination, according to the New York Post.

Lauren Cohen, who is rarely photographed in public with her husband, wore a smart, navy blazer, left open over top of a white tee

Michael Cohen, who is still embroiled in a legal battle over the confidentiality of documents seized in the FBI's raid of his home and office, stepped out of the car without a jacket on but quickly threw on a sport coat on the chilly day

Currently, retired judge Barbara Jones is combing through the materials obtained by agents in their search and seizure of items at Mr. Cohen's law office and home on April 9.

Her role is to root out any documents that might be protected under lawyer-client confidentiality between Trump and Mr. Cohen.

Jones' first report, issued on June 4, indicated that only a small portion of the documents she had reviewed up until now are protected by privilege.

Trump's attorney in the matter, Joanna Hendon, had hoped to make her case privately to Judge Kimba Wood as to why at least one designation was inaccurate.

'The submissions at issue will disclose matters pertaining to privilege and the grand jury investigation, exclusively,' Hendon wrote.

The couple were spotted after having lunch at Tribeca Grill, an upscale steakhouse owned in part by actor Robert De Niro (left) and well-known as a former favorite of disgraced Hollywood mogul Harvey Weistein (right), who was brought down by allegations of sexual assault and misconduct, first reported in October

Prosecutors opposed the objections being made privately, and Wood sided with the state.

'(The) objections should be filed publicly, except for those portions that divulge the substance of the contested documents,' Wood wrote.

The documents are being reviewed by Jones because Cohen has argued that much of the material seized in connection with the FBI's investigation into wire fraud, bank fraud and campaign finance law violations is protected as privileged work-product.

It's been admitted that Mr. Cohen negotiated a $130,000 payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels, who says she had a sexual relationship with Trump in 2006.

All of this seemed far from mind for the Cohens, who were snapped while strolling in Tribeca.

Tribeca Grill is part of the Myriad Restaurant Group and is located at the northeast corner of Greenwich and Franklin streets.The EU opened fire on Theresa May's 'unworkable' Brexit backstop plans today as tensions escalated again.

Brussels delivered a withering assessment of the proposals thrashed out by the Cabinet last week, warning they would mean the return of a hard Irish border.

Eurocrats also complained that the ideas were 'complex and unprecedented' - insisting Northern Ireland should just stay within the EU's customs and regulatory jurisdiction.

The blunt dismissal comes as tensions ratchet up again ahead of a crucial summit at the end of this month.

Theresa May (pictured in the Commons today) has been scrambling to find a way to break the deadlock in Brexit talks without collapsing her government

In a series of slides today, Brussels delivered a withering assessment of the proposals thrashed out by the Cabinet last week, warning they would mean the return of a hard Irish border

Mrs May has been scrambling to find a way to break the deadlock in Brexit talks without collapsing her government.

Under the plan signed off by ministers last week, the UK would stay aligned to EU customs union if plans to ensure the Irish border remains soft are not ready by the end of the transition period.

But Mrs May was only able to get agreement from her own team after agreeing to enshrine an expectation that this backstop would come to an end by the end of December 2021. Brexit Secretary David Davis had threatened to quit otherwise, inflicting a potentially mortal blow on the PM.

What is the Brexit 'backstop' for and how would it work? The divorce deal struck by Theresa May and Jean-Claude Juncker before Christmas called for a fallback option to guarantee a soft Irish border. Both sides agreed that the 'backstop' would mean even if there was no wider trade deal, the UK would stay closely aligned enough to prevent the need for new infrastructure between Northern Ireland and the Republic. The inclusion of the clause, at the demand of Ireland, almost wrecked the deal until Mrs May added a commitment that there would also be full alignment between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK. The EU then translated the 'backstop' into a legal text - but hardened it to make clear Northern Ireland would be fully within the EU customs union and single market. Mrs May says no Prime Minister could ever agree to such terms, as they would undermine the constitutional integrity of the UK. The latest row is over the UK's counter-proposal, which has finally been published. It suggests effectively abiding by the EU's customs rules for another year after the end of the mooted transition period in December 2020. It suggests effectively abiding by the EU's customs rules for another year after the end of the mooted transition period in December 2020. By that time other arrangements should be in place to prevent the need for the backstop, the document says. However, it does not lay down an absolute end date, saying only that those are the timescales the government 'expects' to hit. The EU has already been dismissing the UK blueprint, saying that a backstop cannot be time-limited. Advertisement

Mrs May has ruled out the EU's plan as it would effectively crate a barrier in the Irish Sea between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK.

However, EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier told a press conference in Brussels that it is not 'feasible' to extend the backstop to the whole of the UK.

He said: 'Our backstop cannot be extended to the whole of the UK, that is because it has been designed to the specific situation of Northern Ireland....

'What is feasible in Northern Ireland is not feasible for the rest of the UK.'

He added: 'The UK has decided to leave the European Union we respect that democratic decision and are implementing it. The UK needs to accept it.

'There needs to be more trust and more realism about what is possible and whats not possible

'We have two working weeks left before the European Council at the end of June.'

Mr Barnier went on: 'We don't accept an al carte approach to the single market the for freedoms go hand in hand .

'I welcome the publication of the document, but being very frank I think it raises more questions than it provides answer.'

He added: 'The other point of disagreement is how temporary the backstop would be - backstop means backstop.'

Mr Davis was in Brussels today for a behind-closed-doors meeting with Mr Barnier.

But a series of slides published by the EU commission showed no signs its position is softening.

In a chart comparing the EU and UK proposals, it said Brussels was offering a 'timely and workable solution'.

The EU's plan was also decribed as 'avoiding a hard border' between Northern Ireland and the Republic and 'addressing the specific circumstances' of the peace process on the island.

By contrast the UK plan was criticised as leaving 'key questions unanswered', 'leading to a hard border' and being 'time limited'. It was also said to be 'UK wide'.

Michel Barnier rejected Theresa May's Brexit backstop plans on Friday after she finally got her warring Cabinet to signed up to them.A Michigan fire department was filmed lowering a black bear out of a tree over the weekend.

The Roscommon Township Fire Department was dispatched to assist the state's Department of Natural Resources (DNR) with the removal of the bear.

In a video, the bear is lowered from its resting place at the very top of a tree after it was tranquilized by the DNR.

A Michigan fire department was filmed lowering a black bear out of a tree over the weekend

The mammal's body remains limp as first reponders carefully lower it down from the tree.

Firefighters are then seen holding a safety net to place the bear before transporting it out of the area.

Officials said the bear was resting at about 20 feet up in the tree.

But once it was hit with a dart, the bear climbed to about 65 feet high.

Firefighters were able to use the ladder from their firetruck to hoist a crew member up in order to get a line around the animal's front paws.

The bear, which appeared to be a cub, was later released into its natural habitat.

Officials said the bear was resting at about 20 feet up in the tree. But once it was hit with a dart, the bear climbed to about 65 feet highPolice rushed to a jail after a topless prisoner escaped and launched a desperate rooftop protest.

The man was seen at HMP Chelmsford, in Essex, with police officers cordoning off surrounding roads.

Pictures from the scene show a grey tracksuit clad man staring at police from the towering perimeter of the Category B site.

Essex Police officers rushed to Chelmsford Prison where a man climbed onto the roof of the building

Police rushed to the Essex jail after a topless prisoner escaped and launched a desperate rooftop protest

The man was seen at HMP Chelmsford with police officers cordoning off surrounding roads

He has been seen shouting, chucking items, and has taken his top off.

The lag was also spotted vaping while gesticulating with gloved hands.

A Prison Service spokesman said: 'Staff are working to resolve an ongoing incident involving one prisoner at HMP Chelmsford.'

In the wake of the break out police have blocked nearby roads with a dog unit also patrolling the perimeter.

A spokesman for Essex Police said: 'We were contacted at around 11am today, Monday, June 11, to assist staff at Chelmsford Prison in relation to an ongoing incident.

'The incident is currently being managed by the prison service, however, we have closed nearby roads as a precaution.'

It is not known what has sparked the stand off, but the prison was last week revealed to be one of the most violent in the country.

The man was seen shouting, chucking items, and took his top off in the hot weather today

The lag was also spotted with a vape in one hand before putting on black gloves and making wild gestures

The incident was managed by the prison service, however, police closed nearby roads as a precaution

Inspectors at Chelmsford Prison warned it is understaffed and becoming increasingly violent

Between 2016 and 2017, HMP Chelmsford saw the highest increase in the numbers of serious assaults on staff of all the prisons in England and Wales.

Inspectors at Chelmsford Prison warned it is understaffed and becoming increasingly violent - with a sharp rise in the number of assaults against both officers and other inmates.

Its independent monitoring board published a report last year, in which it concerns about drug trafficking, poor mental health support and bullying are raised.

The board also said staffing levels 'fell well below the benchmark figure' - even when that benchmark was reduced temporarily.

The report stated: 'The prison's ability to control the influx of drugs and other contraband, and to maintain discipline, has been hampered by the shortfall in the number of officers available for much of the reporting period, and the lack of experience of many of the newer officers.'Masked robbers on a moped slashed a 30-year-old woman with a giant knife after ambushing a family in a car in south London on Friday.

Two men approached the four relatives, who were in a car on Keats Way in Coulsdon, at around 5.45pm and demanded they hand over their jewellery.

One of the men on the silver moped cut the woman on the hand as he tried to take her bracelet before making off with a small amount of jewellery.

The woman's relatives, two women in their 70s and a 66-year-old man, were unharmed.

Croydon police (file photo) are appealing for information after masked robbers on a moped slashed a 30-year-old woman with a large knife on Friday

One of the masked men had a large knife, and it is believed the other suspect was also carrying a blade.

A Metropolitan police spokesperson said: 'The suspects are described as two white males, aged in their late teens or early 20s.

'Both were of slim build and wore dark coloured tracksuits, black crash helmets and facemasks.'

Anyone with information is asked to call 101 to speak to Croydon CID with the reference number 6135/8jun, or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.Porn star Stormy Daniels attorney Michael Avenatti is demanding Donald Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani apologize for 'disgusting' comments about his client  while suggesting he may have tracked down proof he himself has viewed porn.

On Saturday, Avenatti sent out a call for evidence of Giuliani 'voluntarily viewing pornography'  after Giuliani trashed Daniels as someone who would 'sell her body for sexual exploitation.'

On Monday, a tweet by Avenatti left the impression he had uncovered computer information to make his case.

'Mr. Giuliani: my client deserves an apology for your sexist, disgusting, comments about her and women in general. I strongly suggest you provide one,' Avenatti wrote.

Michael Avenatti, left, tweeted Saturday calling for help finding evidence of Rudy Giuliani's, right, alleged pornography watching habits

'Are you really taking the position that you have not viewed porn in the last year? Ever hear of something called an IP address?...' he wrote, referencing the Internet Protocol numbers that indicate a hosting internet site and its location.

Another tweet on Sunday hinted at a discovery from his crowd-sourced pitch: 'The sheer power of the Internet and Twitter never ceases to amaze me...' Avenatti wrote.

He also tried to tease people into watching his Instagram account. 'This week promises to be very interesting... Might want to follow my Insta handle,' Avenatti wrote, with a picture of a jet in the crosshairs of a target.

JUST A SUGGESTION: Avenatti urged Giuliani to apologize to Daniels, after asking for evidence Giuliani has viewed porn

He tweeted to find evidence of Giuliani watching porn after he fired at porn industry workers

Avenatti, 47, took toTwitter on Saturday to call for help finding evidence that proves Giuliani, 74, consumes pornography.

'I want to test Mr. Giulianis claims of being adamantly against pornography and having no use for adult film stars,' he wrote.

'If anyone can provide me with any evidence of him voluntarily viewing pornography, I will protect you as a source and publish it. Lets PROVE the hypocrisy. #Basta,' he added.

The pitch came after President Donald Trump, who Daniels accuses of having a sexual affair with her in 2006, said Friday that being a porn star isn't 'respectable'

'Is being a porn star respectable work? He said it's not,' a reporter asked Trump.

'He said what?' Trump asked at first.

'He said that being a porn star is not respectable work,' the reporter repeated.

'Im not going to disagree with him on that,' Trump said.

Giuliani in fact went further in his own remarks, saying a woman who 'sells her body' has 'no good name.'

Porn star Stormy Daniels claims she had an affair with Donald Trump

Trump's views on the respectability of porn haven't kept him from appearing in three soft-core porn films himself.

He did cameos in three Playboy videos: in 1994, 2000, and in 2001, BuzzFeed and CNN reported.

Giuliani famously pushed to rid Times Square of porn shops and adult movie theaters.

The 1990s push led to a transformation of the area, as porn shops fled following a City Council zoning change.

Last week Giuliani fired at Avenatti's client, who alleges an affair with Trump and is suing for relief from a non-disclosure agreement she reached with Trump lawyer Michael Cohen in exchange for a $130,000 payment.

ON TARGET? Avenatti hinted that tis would be an 'interesting' week

Avenatti reflected on the power of the Internet and Twitter after seeking evidence of his TV nemesis Giuliani may have viewed porn

RESPECTABLE: 'Im not going to disagree with him on that,' Trump said when asked if being a porn star was 'respectable'

WHEN YOU'RE A STAR: Trump appeared in three soft-core Playboy films, playing himself with his clothes on

Victoria Silvsted, Donald Trump and the former Melania Knauss (now first lady Melania Trump)

WHEN YOU'RE A STAR: Trump appeared in three soft-core Playboy films, playing himself with his clothes on

The former New York Mayor said people who work in the porn industry deserve zero credibility.

'If youre a [feminist] and you support the porn industry, you should turn in your credentials,' he said to CNN.

Later he insinuated that Daniels' career in adult film takes away the legitimacy of her Trump affair claims.

'So, Stormy, you want to bring a case, let me cross-examine you. Because the business you were in entitles you to no degree of giving your credibility any weight,' he said.

Avenatti is porn star Stormy Daniels' lawyer, who alleges to have had an affair with President Donald Trump, the lawyer and Daniels pictured above in May in West Hollywood

Chrissy Teigan hilariously responded to Avenatti's tweet saying 'God speed, Michael'

After Giuliani's comments, Avenatti defended Daniels saying 'I would put her character up against Mr. Giuliani's any day of the week'

'Im sorry I dont respect a porn star the way I respect a career woman or a woman of substance or a woman who... isnt going to sell her body for sexual exploitation,' he added.

But his comments have sparked outrage, particularly with Avenatti, who wants to expose Trump's personal lawyer for allegedly watching porn.

'Hes basically stating that women that engage in the adult film industry and other forms of pornography dont have reputations and are not entitled to respect,' Avenatti said on Anderson Cooper 360.

'I certainly hope that we are not going to reach a place where Rudy Giuliani is going to be the police who is going to decide which women deserve respect or not,' he added calling Giuliani 'an absolute pig for making those comments'.

On Twitter he praised his client Daniels and rallying to support all women.

'My client @StormyDaniels should be celebrated for her courage, strength and intelligence. She is one of the most credible people I have ever met regardless of gender. Period. I would be put her character up against Mr. Giulianis any day of the week,' he wrote on Thursday.

'As a father of two daughters, I stand by my comments. Entirely,' he added.The Duke of Cambridge's visit will be the first official trip on behalf of the government by a member of the monarchy to Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories

Prince William will sit down for talks with the Israeli prime minister and the Palestinian president during his historic visit to the Middle East.

The Duke of Cambridge's visit will be the first official trip on behalf of the government by a member of the monarchy to Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

William will also visit Jordan, and the capital Amman where his wife the Duchess of Cambridge lived from May 1984 until September 1986.

He will also make a trip to Jerash, a first century Roman city, one of the country's greatest tourist attractions, and a place once visited by Kate in the early 80s.

The Duchess was pictured with her father Michael and her sister Pippa at the site. The family moved to Jordan from Berkshire, when Michael got a job as a British Airways manager and moved his family from Berkshire.

The visit, which will take place from Sunday June 24 to Thursday June 28, will see him meet Israel's prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas.

William will not be accompanied by Kate, who is on maternity leave following Prince Louis birth last month.

Kate Middleton (left) with sister Pippa and Father Michael in Jerash, Jordan. The Middleton Family moved to Amman, Jordan for two and a half years

Jerash, a first century Roman city, is one of the country's greatest tourist attractions, and a place once visited by Kate in the early 80s

He will hold separate talks with both leaders during his five-day visit to the region, which comes during a period of mounting violence.

Dozens of Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces during recent protests at the border between Israel and the Gaza Strip in the run-up to celebrations marking the 70th anniversary of the founding of Israel.

Arriving first in Jordan, he will be greeted by His Royal Highness Crown Prince Al-Hussein Bin Abdullah II, and will later join him for a private dinner as his residence.

After visiting Jerash, he will meet some of the 655,000 refugees in the country that have fled from Syria.

The visit, which will take place from Sunday June 24 to Thursday June 28, will see him meet Israel's prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu (left) and Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas (right)

Pictured: Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (right) is welcomed by French Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire (left) on June 6, 2018

Chilean president Sebastian Pinera (left) shakes hands with Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas

In Israel, William will visit the Yad Vashem, the World Holocaust Remembrance Centre, and will lay a wreath to commemorate the millions of Jews who died during the Second World War.

He will also view Jerusalem's Old City from the Mount of Olives and visit the nearby Church of St Mary Magdalene to pay his respects at the tomb of Princess Alice of Greece, his great-grandmother and the Duke of Edinburgh's mother.

William will be following in the footsteps of Philip, who visited his mother's grave in 1994 when he travelled to Israel for a ceremony honouring her for saving Greek Jews during the Second World War.

The Duke will travel to Ramallah where he will meet with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. The meeting will take place at the President's office.

The Temple Mount, known to Muslims as al-Haram al-Sharif, is seen from the Mount of Olives in East Jerusalem, on of the sites on The prince's tour

In Israel, William will visit the Yad Vashem, the World Holocaust Remembrance Centre, and will lay a wreath to commemorate the millions of Jews who died during the Second World War

The rest of that afternoon's programme in the West Bank will include events that focus on the issues facing refugee communities; opportunities to celebrate Palestinian culture, music and food; and a chance to meet a number of young Palestinians. Full details will be announced during the visit.

In a statement from Kensington Palace, it said: 'In Jordan, His Royal Highness will be able to build on the strong links that exist not only between the two countries, but also between their respective Royal families who have visited each other many times over the years.

'In Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories, the visit will be the first official tour on behalf of the Government by a Member of The Royal Family.'

The statement added: 'The complex challenges in the region are of course well known.

'The non-political nature of His Royal Highness's role  in common with all Royal visits overseas allows a spotlight to be brought to bear on the people of the region: their cultures, their young people, their aspirations, and their experiences.'

The palace said his 'goal' is to meet as 'many people from as many walks of life as possible.'

The statement said: 'The historic nature of this tour is of course important and The Duke considers it a great privilege to be undertaking the first ever official Royal tour of Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories and to be able to help further strengthen the friendship between Jordan and the United Kingdom.

'More importantly, however, The Duke is looking forward to building a real and enduring relationship with the people of the region.

'In particular he is pleased that his programme will allow him to meet a number of people from his own generation and young Jordanians, Israelis, and Palestinians. His Royal Highness is looking forward to learning about their unique perspectives, but also their shared ambitions and hopes for the future.'U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions ruled on Monday against the asylum applicationof a Salvadoran woman who fled to the United States after her ex-husband beat and raped her.

The landmark decision is expected to have a chilling effect on the way America's asylum policies have been interpreted both inside and outside the country's borders.

'I understand that many victims of domestic violence may seek to flee from their home countries to extricate themselves from a dire situation or to give themselves the opportunity for a better life,' Sessions wrote.

But, quoting a previous court ruling, he added that the 'asylum statute is not a general hardship statute.'

Sessions is seeking to return immigration judges to a strict interpretation of federal law, under which asylum on the basis of persecution can only be granted when two requirements are met.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions ruled Monday that a Salvadoran woman who wants asylum after she was raped and beaten by her ex-husband can't remain in the U.S. because she was a victim of common crime, not persecution based on her membership in a group

The American 'asylum statute is not a general hardship statute,' Sessions wrote, quoting a previous court ruling, as he instructed an immigration judge to send the woman, known only as 'A.B.,' back to her home country (stock photo)

The woman in Monday's case  known only as 'A.B.,' claimed asylum based on 'her membership in the purported particular social group of "El Salvadoran women who are unable to leave their domestic relationships where they have children in common" with their partners'

The law requires that applicants claim membership in a group,such as a race or nationality, that is 'socially distinct' in the place they're fleeing. They also must prove they were victimized 'on account of their membership in that group rather than for personal reasons,' he wrote.

The woman in Monday's case  known only as 'A.B.,' her initials  was apprehended in 2014 and claimed asylum based on 'her membership in the purported particular social group of "El Salvadoran women who are unable to leave their domestic relationships where they have children in common" with their partners,' Sessions wrote.

She said her ex-husband, with whom she shares three children, 'repeatedly abused her physically, emotionally, and sexually' during and after their marriage.

The attorney general said hours earlier that his decision would 'restore the sound principles of asylum and longstanding principles of immigration law.'

More than 260,000 foreigners requested asylum in the U.S. during 2016, a number that the Trump administration wants to shrink by publicizing a get-tough policy and limiting approvals to cases of persecution, discrimination and genocide

'The vast majority of the current asylum claims are not valid,' he said in a speech at the department's Executive Office For Immigration Review. 'For the last five years, only 20 percent of claims have been found to be meritorious after a hearing before an immigration judge.'

Sessions told officials that in what would be a major policy shift, a grant of asylum in the United States 'was never meant to alleviate all problems  even all serious problems  that people face every day all over the world.'

The Immigration and Naturalization Act, he explained, outlined the process of applying for asylum and only granted it to migrants 'who leave their home country because of persecution or fear on account of race, religion, nationality, or membership in a particular social group or political opinion.'

A Justice Department spokesperson said America's immigration laws 'provide for asylum to be granted to individuals who have been persecuted, or who have a well-founded fear of persecution, on account of their membership in a "particular social group," but most victims of personal crimes do not fit this definition  no matter how vile and reprehensible the crime perpetrated against them.'

Beth Werlin, Executive Director of the American Immigration Council, said Monday that Sessions' decision, if courts don't overturn it, will 'result in sending countless mothers and children back to their abusers and criminal gangs'

Central American immigrant families climbed the U.S. border wall in April after traveling for about a month across Mexico to reach the United States; many are seeking asylum

'The Department of Justice remains committed to reducing violence against women and enforcing laws against domestic violence, both in the United States and around the world,' the spokesperson continued.

Beth Werlin, Executive Director of the American Immigration Council, said in a statement that the United States has always 'opened its doors to individuals fleeing oppression and persecution. Todays decision by the Attorney General is yet another attempt to close our doors.'

'The Attorney Generals decisionif permitted to standwill no doubt result in sending countless mothers and children back to their abusers and criminal gangs,' Werlin added.

The American Immigration Council is a left-leaning group that represents immigrants, both legal and illegal, in courts proceedings.

In 2016 more than 260,000 people requested asylum in the United States. The Trump administration set a cap of 50,000 approvals in 2017, but a loophole allowed more to enter if they had existing family ties to other asylees.

Federal agents interview asylum-seekers to assess whether they arrived in the U.S. due to a 'credible fear.' But Sessions warned last October that illegal immigrants were gaming the system in order to get an 'easy ticket to illegal entry in the United States.'

He predicted Monday that as word spreads that the U.S. is applying a stricter standard, 'the world will know what our rules are, and great numbers will no longer undertake this dangerous journey.'

'The number of illegal aliens and the number of baseless claims will fall.'

Sessions said his new ruling will also provide more clarity for immigration judges who have to decide whose claims are valid.

Unlike the federal judiciary system, the U.S. immigration courts fall under the jurisdiction of the Justice Department and the attorney general can intervene in cases to change legal precedents that have been decided by the Board of Immigration Appeals.

Sessions has been unusually active in this practice compared to his predecessors by exercising his intervention authority to make it tougher for some people to legally remain in the United States.

In the case of A.B., Sessions' decision could have potentially far-reaching consequences for women and children immigrants seeking asylum to escape domestic violence in their home countries.

Judge Ashley Tabaddor, president of the immigration judges' union, told Reuters that cases like that of 'A.B.' are 'definitely a common claim coming from Central America.'

President Donald Trump has long called for an overhaul of the U.S. asylum system, citing a more than tenfold rise in asylum claims since 2011.

Trump has also rallied has base against 'catch and release' policies that allow some illegal immigrants to remain in the United States while they await court hearings in a clogged legal system  or disappear into the interior of the country rather than returning to plead their cases.

Sessions said Monday that the United States has 'a backlog of about 700,000 immigration cases, and it's still growing.'

'Thats more than triple what it was in 2009. This is not acceptable. We cannot allow it to continue,' he said.

Sessions promised that by the end of 2018 the Justice Department will have hired 100 new immigration judges and increased their access to videoconference and othe technologies to hear cases remotely.The neighbor who attacked US Sen Rand Paul 'lost his temper' over yard debris on the property line between their homes before the altercation, a court filing in the federal case against him reveals.

Dr. Rene Boucher is asking a judge to grant him probation after pleading guilty to tacking the Republican politician in Bowling Green, Kentucky, last year and breaking six of his ribs.

Prosecutors are seeking a 21-month prison sentence for the 59-year-old.

A sentencing memorandum filed on Friday by Boucher's attorney says Paul repeatedly placed 'unsightly' yard debris near the property line.

Dr. Rene Boucher is asking a judge to grant him probation after pleading guilty to tacking the Republican politician in Bowling Green, Kentucky, last year and breaking six of his ribs

A sentencing memorandum filed on Friday by Boucher's attorney says Paul (pictured) repeatedly placed 'unsightly' yard debris near the property line

On the day before the November 3 attack, Boucher burned some debris left by Paul, according to the document obtained by the Daily News of Bowling Green.

The next day, Paul placed more debris on the spot where the pile had been burned, it says.

Boucher has pleaded guilty to assaulting a member of Congress and is scheduled to be sentenced Friday.

After pleading guilty in March, Boucher, a retired doctor, was released on a $25,000 unsecured bond and is not allowed to contact Paul or his family. He has also given up the right to appeal.

Paul was mowing his yard in November, 2017, while wearing headphones when Boucher approached him from behind and dragged him to the ground.

He was taken to hospital with multiple fractures and later sought treatment for pneumonia.

Court documents say Boucher saw Paul stacking more brush and 'had enough.'

The two were believed to have had an ongoing dispute over yard maintenance for a few months.

Boucher's attorney, Matt Baker, characterized the attack as a dispute that boiled over that had nothing to do with politics.

A spokesman for Paul disputed the thought that there was an ongoing disagreement between the two men.

The spokesman told DailyMail.com: 'Before Senator Paul was violently attacked from behind, he had no conversations or discussions with the attacker.

'There was no "longstanding dispute." This description is untrue.

'It is impossible to have a dispute when no words of disagreement were ever spoken - neither immediately nor at any other time before the attack occurred.

'In the decade prior to the attack, Senator Paul had no contact with the attacker.

'The attack was a pre-meditated assault that broke six of the Senator's ribs and was complicated by fluid and blood around the lung and recurrent pneumonia.

'Any description of this attack that implies a "yard dispute" justifies such violence and misses the point.'

There is a group of trees blocking Paul's home from Boucher's home in the Rivergreen gated community

Sen. Paul was mowing his yard in November, 2017, while wearing headphones when Boucher approached him from behind and dragged him to the ground. The front yard of Paul's home is seen in the above photo

Shortly after the attack, it was learned that Boucher held a grudge against Paul because he felt the Kentucky senator was spoiling his view and thus bringing down the property of his home. Boucher's home is seen in the above photo

This is the picturesque private lake that forms the centerpiece of their upscale gated community

Shortly after the attack, it was believed that Boucher held a grudge against Paul because he felt the Kentucky senator was spoiling his view and thus bringing down the property of his home.

Boucher, 59, was said to have told Paul in the wake of the mauling that he hadn't been able to sell his $740,000 house for ten years because the congressman's trees were 'in the way'.

It's believed Boucher was referring to woodland at the back of Paul's property that blocks the doctor's views of the picturesque private lake that forms the centerpiece of their upscale gated community.

Friends say it could explain why the retired anesthesiologist has failed to find a buyer for his five-bedroom, 1.36-acre home which is nonetheless described on property websites as 'overlooking' the desirable water feature.

A look at boundary maps and overhead photographs also shows many of the 'offending' trees are on Paul's land - although one realtor pal told DailyMail.com the Boucher property probably didn't sell simply because it was overpriced.

Boucher was arrested on November 3, 2018, after attacking Rand at his home in Bowling Green, Kentucky

Property records confirm that Democrat-voting Boucher has put his house on the market five times over the past decade without success, at one point becoming embroiled in a messy lawsuit when a prospective buyer pulled the plug at the last minute.

A look at boundary maps and overhead photographs also shows many of the 'offending' trees are on Paul's land - although one realtor pal told DailyMail.com the Boucher property probably didn't sell simply because it was overpriced.

The realtor's comments and property records lend credence to suggestions that Boucher's unruly behavior owes more to a simmering territorial grievance than a political feud, despite the pair's apparent ideological differences.

Boucher, a divorced father-of-two, was originally charged by the state of Kentucky with a fourth-degree misdemeanor assault due to the relatively minor injuries.

He pleaded not guilty to the misdemeanor charge.

The federal government then added the more seriously felony charge of assaulting a member of Congress.

Boucher pleaded guilty in a deal struck with federal prosecutors this past January.

The two men's lots meet on the corner of two private streets and their houses are about 250ft apart, separated by a lawn rather than a wall or fence.

It was this 'no man's land' that Boucher charged across on November 4, catching Paul unawares as he stepped off his lawnmower before slamming him to the ground.

The seriousness of the assault became apparent days later when the Libertarian former presidential candidate revealed he suffered six broken ribs and a buildup of fluid around the lung known as a pleural effusion.

Rand and Boucher's well-to-do Rivergreen gated community was designed by Bill Skaggs, 74, a longtime Republican activist and successful property developer.

He purchased the 300-acre site south of Bowling Green for $176,000 in 1995 before carving it into 79 separate lots, with prices ranging from $40,000 to a quarter of a million dollars.

Homebuilders were asked to comply with 13 pages of regulations, but he preferred to do without 'ugly fences' whenever possible, instead letting each property flow seamlessly into the picturesque surroundings.

Today homes there can fetch up to as much as $2.5million, especially properties with direct views of the jewel in the development's crown: a 17-acre freshwater lake, as deep as 30ft in places.

Skaggs said he knew Paul through his father, former Texas Rep. Ron Paul, and eventually persuaded the married ophthalmologist to settle in Kentucky, where his wife Kelley grew up.

He also welcomed Boucher, a highly qualified anesthesiologist, with open arms and said he had never been anything other than a 'very good neighbor'.

The ex-physician got his medical degree from Des Moines University College of Osteopathic Medicine and once worked at the same Bowling Green medical facility as Paul, though it's not clear if they ever interacted.

He is also the inventor of the Therm-a-Vest and went on QVC to advertise the $30 product in 2005 which he was inspired to develop after badly injuring his neck in a motorbike accident.

Boucher divorced his receptionist ex-wife Lisa, 63, in 2008 blaming 'irretrievable' differences for the break-up of their 22-year marriage.

Divorce records indicate that by 2008 Boucher was not able to work and was receiving disability benefits.

His wife was awarded a second home they owned in Bowling Green while the couple split their savings, a fleet of Lexus cars, and agreed to share the proceeds of their Rivergreen house when it eventually sold.

They have two grown up children, Evan and Danielle, who is friends on Facebook with Paul's son William.

Boucher has marketed his property as high as $849,500 but tax assessors say the 7,500 sq ft, two-story home is actually worth $740,000.Now that his career has come to a resounding halt, it appears the only way Matt Lauer can keep moving is with a new set of wheels.

The disgraced former Today Show anchor was spotted driving a brand new Harley-Davidson motorcycle in the Hamptons on Friday.

Lauer stopped short of getting a matching leather jacket.

Instead the 60-year-old dressed down for his trip around town, sporting jeans and a blue sweatshirt along with a silver helmet.

Disgraced former Today Show anchor Matt Lauer was spotted driving a brand new Harley-Davidson motorcycle in the Hamptons on Friday

The 60-year-old dressed down for his trip around town, sporting jeans and a blue sweatshirt along with a silver helmet

Lauer was later spotted with his son Jack driving a 1987 Land Rover, which had a 'For Sale' sign posted on one of the windows.

The Hamptons have become a hideout of sorts for Lauer ever since he was fired from the Today Show following accusations of sexual misconduct.

Lauer was booted in November after an unidentified NBC employee accused him of sexually harassing her during the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi.

An NBC News workplace investigation released in May revealed that three additional women alleged Lauer had engaged in inappropriate sexual behavior in the workplace with them in 2000, 2001, and 2007.

'When we first told you about the decision to dismiss Matt Lauer, I said we had been presented with "reason to believe this may not have been an isolated incident"', Andy Lack, Chairman of NBC Universal, said in a memo with the report.

'As you will see in the report, that turned out to be the case.'

Lauer was later spotted with his son Jack driving a 1987 Land Rover, which had a 'For Sale' sign posted on one of the windows, around the city

He kept a low profile for the day, wearing sunglasses and a New York Yankees hat

One of the women who engaged in sexual activity with Lauer, Addie Collins Zinone, spoke about her month-long affair in interviews last year.

That incident occurred in 2000 when she was just a 24-year-old production assistant at Today.

While Zinone said the relationship was consensual, she added that the power dynamics had made her later regret the relationship.

A married NBC staffer also claimed she woke up in Matt Lauer's office in 2001 with her pants halfway down her legs after having sex with him until she passed out.

The woman told The New York Times that the longtime Today Show host's assistant had to take her to see a nurse after the alleged encounter.

A source told People that Lauer remains 'truly devastated' over the end of his career.

Lauer only released a statement to apologize in April, five months after he was fired.

The disgraced anchor claimed that, the day after he lost his job, he apologized to 'the people I had hurt' and began the 'process of repairing the damage I had caused my family'.

'I have made no public comments on the many false stories from anonymous or biased sources that have been reported about me over these past several months  including a claim that I would, or even could, lock someone in my office,' he added.

'I remained silent in an attempt to protect my family from further embarrassment and to restore a small degree of the privacy they have lost.'

A source recently revealed to that Lauer remains 'truly devastated' over the end of his career

Lauer said he only decided to speak up to 'defend' his family, including estranged wife Annette Roque and their three children.

'I fully acknowledge that I acted inappropriately as a husband, father and principal at NBC,' he said.

'However I want to make it perfectly clear that any allegations or reports of coercive, aggressive or abusive actions on my part, at any time, are absolutely false.'

A source recently revealed to the magazine that Lauer and his wife are now 'barely speaking' since the allegations surfaced.

But Lauer hasn't lost everyone in his life, it seems.

Just last week he was seen dining in an upscale New York City restaurant with a high-powered producer from NBC's Today show.

Lauer was spotted at East Pole, an Upper East Side restaurant, with Deborah Kasofsky on Thursday.

Lauer was recently spotted dining in a fancy New York City restaurant with Deborah Kasofsky (right), a high-powered producer from NBC's Today show

Lauer was seen at East Pole, an Upper East Side restaurant, with Kasofsky last Thursday night

'They were in the middle of the room,' a source told Page Six. 'They were talking about vacation spots.'

Lauer reportedly told Kasofsky that he was thinking of moving out of the Hamptons and 'to the mountains.'

Another source said that the two only talked about 'his kids' and did not discuss him possibly moving.

'They've been good friends for 30 years,' one source said.

Lauer put his spacious Sag Harbor home on the market for $12.75million and, this past April, sold his Manhattan apartment for $7million.

He and Roque own other properties in eastern Long Island, including a 40-acre horse farm in Water Mill.An apparent triple-murder suicide took the lives of four adults who were related to each other in Northland, Missouri over the weekend.

A 14-year-old female called police to the site of the shooting in the Thousand Oaks neighorhood at around 9.15pm on Sunday.

When authorities arrived to the scene, they found the dead bodies of Sharmalee Pauling, 73, Carl Deruyscher, 66, Margaret Girard, 49, and Douglas Pauling, 50, inside the home.

The teenage daughter of Douglas Pauling and Girard was the sole survivor of the attack.

Police suspect Douglas Pauling of shooting his former patner, Girard, along with his mother, Sharmalee Pauling, and her husband, Deruyscher, who was the suspected gunman's step grandfather, before the turning the gun on himself.

It was reported by a neighbor that the teen said her father came after her, as well, but she escaped the home before calling the police.

The crime occurred at the home of Sharmalee Pauling and Deruyscher, Fox 4 News reported.

A 14-year-old female called police after an apparent triple-murder suicide took the lives of both of her parents and her grandma and step grandpa in Northland, Missouri on Sunday; An aerial view of the teen's grandparents' home where the crime occurred in shown

'It's an unfortunate event,' Platte County Sheriff Mark Owen told the Kansas City Star. 'It's a shock to the community.'

Based on audio recorded by Broadcastify.com of the emergency dispatcher trying to get units to respond to the area, the teenager's father was identified as a person of interest almost right away.

'[S]he's not giving us an address but her father had a gun and he shot, I believe, the grandmother and shot at her,' the dispatcher said. 'She was not giving us an address. We're trying to get her back on the line.'

According to a neighbor's account of a conversation with the teen, Douglas Pauling first shot the teen's mother and his own mother, before going after his own daughter.

Platte County Sheriff Mark Owen (pictured) called the incident 'a shock to the community'

The daughter escaped, and at some point the step-grandfather went back into the house to try to calm the father down, which is when it's believed the father shot his own step-father and then turned the gun on himself.

After the incident occurred and before this information was revealed, the dispatcher continued with what details were relayed while the teen was on the phone.

'Information the (reporting party) advised that he has brown hair that's very short and has a scruffy face, he's wearing glasses, a T-shirt and cargo shorts,' the dispatcher said. '[Inaudible] says the parties that have been shot are going to be in the dining room.

'She got out of the house. When she left, the father and everyone else were still in the residence, between the kitchen and the dining room, is what she's telling her partner right now.'

The teen called the shooting in as a witness, and was not considered a suspect at that time, Capt. Jeffery Shanks, spokesperson for the Platte County Sheriff's Office said.

'Initially she wasn't sure of the exact address of where she was,' Shanks said. 'She indicated there was a party armed with possibly a rifle.'

Dispatchers, however, determined the teen was somewhere in the 14000 block of Northwest 63rd Street, which intersects with North Nevada Avenue.

As officers replied that they were on their way to the general area, the dispatcher repeated that the girl was no longer on the line and hadn't give the exact location of the shooting.

'She was not responding,' the dispatcher said. 'She would not give us the street. She forgot the address. She's very shaken up.'

Once officers arrived on the scene, after setting a perimeter in the event there was an active shooter situation, authorities made the call for the SWAT team to tactically enter the home.

'Once the SWAT team did enter and clear the house, what they did discover was that there was four deceased parties inside the residence,' Shanks said.

Nearby neighbor and retired police officer Chuck Stockman said that whatever happened in the home took place quietly, and that he didn't hear anything that resembled gunfire.

Girard has also lived on the block for four years.

The teenager who reported the incident was placed in protective custody until family could arrive, Sheriff Owen said.

For confidential help, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 or click here.Former Biscayne Park police chief Raimundo Atesiano, pictured, and former officers Charlie Dayoub and Raul Fernandez have been charged with framing a 16-year-old in four burglaries back in June 2013

A former police chief and two officers in a small Florida community have been charged with framing a 16-year-old in four burglaries to improve arrest statistics.

The US Attorney's office claims that former Biscayne Park police Chief Raimundo Atesiano directed former officers Charlie Dayoub and Raul Fernandez to charge the teen, identified only as 'T.D.', in four unsolved burglaries in June 2013 despite not having any evidence to support the charges.

The men have been indicted for conspiracy and civil rights violations, according to a statement from the office of the US Attorney for the Southern District of Florida released Monday.

The indictment came just two days before the five-year anniversary of the 16-year-old's unlawful arrest.

It says that while Atesiano was police chief, he 'caused and encouraged officers to knowingly arrest T.D. without a legitimate basis in order to maintain a fictitious 100 percent clearance rate of reported burglaries'.

The men allegedly framed the 16-year-old in an attempt to 'maintain a fictitious 100 percent clearance rate of reported burglaries'

Atesiano had allegedly directed Dayoub and Fernandez to collect information on four unsolved burglaries and complete arrest affidavits for them.

They then claimed that an investigation had revealed that T.D. committed the burglaries, and arrested him on June 13, 2013.

'Atesiano, Dayoub and Fernandez knew there was no evidence and no lawful basis to arrest and charge T.D. with those crimes,' the indictment says.

Less than a month after arresting T.D., Atesiano announced at a city council meeting for the small community that his department had a 100 percent clearance rate for burglaries.

The men have been charged with conspiracy to violate civil rights under color of law and deprivation of civil rights and could face up to 11 years in prison.

Atesiano reportedly surrendered to authorities and made his first appearance in federal court on Monday.

He is out on $50,000 bond and his arraignment is set for June 25.

Dayoub and Fernandez have both received summonses and are expected to appear in court later this month.A London moped mugger has revealed how he used to make as much as 1,500 a day by robbing innocent pedestrians.

Lucas, reformed moped mugger, committed his first crime at 13 when he stole a bike to sell on for cash.

For years he mugged pedestrians from the back of his moped, invulnerable to the police who were unable to pursue him through the capital's dense traffic.

Lucas spoke with The Sun about his crimes, bragging about how police were powerless to pursue criminals.

Moped muggers are terrorising London's Wild West streets

He revealed he would regularly take home 1,500 worth of stolen goods a day, mostly stealing iPhones and jewellery.

He told The Sun: 'You can never catch me on the bike, they can never catch me in action. No way.

'You can't stop someone on a moped, police can't stop us on a moped anyway. It's against the law, they have to leave us to drive off because if you do something you're going to lose your job.'

He claimed that if police did start to pursue moped muggers many of them would die in crashes. He said he was sure the police would never let that happen.

An array of knives collected at Bethnal Green Police Station by police officers, including an enormous blade with its handle wrapped up seemingly to improve the grip (centre)

Tower Hamlets Police discovered this shocking silver meat cleaver with a red handle

There have been 74 killings in London so far this year - many of them stabbings - and at one point the capital's murder rate was higher that New York's for the first time.

The latest victim was a man in his 30s who was stabbed to death in Haringey on Saturday night.

In February more than 250 knives and swords were seized across London in just one week and 283 people, many of them teenagers, were arrested for carrying them.

There were more than 23,000 moped-related crimes in London last year  an average of 60 every day.

MPs claim London is like the Wild West because gangs appear fearless about being caught.

Two of the knives seized by London officers. The 'zombie' sword (left) was confiscated in Lewisham and the machete (right) was found in Greenwich

Lucas started his criminal career at the age of just 13 after he was shown how to steal and sell on a bike.

He then spent many years robbing innocent people across London from the back of his bike before he was caught and jailed.

But the reformed gangster says he doesn't regret a moment of it.

He said he had 'no remorse' for his crimes, adding they were forgivable because he didn't use a weapon.

Lucas even revealed he would target people he thought looked rich because they were more likely to be insured and were 'not gonna miss nothing'.

Going into detail on how he would carry out a 'snatch', Lucas said: 'You have to observe the area you're gonna do your thing in.

'It depends how wild you are. If you're wild, you can just drive on the pavement, take it, drive off.

'Sometimes [I can take] anything - it can be bag, watch, chains. The person might have a chain on their neck, that's an easy get.'

Pictures show stunned comic Michael McIntyre speaking with police moments after he was robbed by a moped gang

Mr McIntyre wears his valuable Rolex most of the time (circled) but was seen without it on his wrist in the aftermath of the terrifying moped attack

The robbers used hammers to destroy the driver's window and demanded his silver watch, worth around 15,000

The comedian became another victim of London's plague of moped crimes when he was attacked in north London

Moped muggers tend to work in pairs but Lucas admitted that he mostly worked alone because he 'wanted to get it done properly'.

But eventually he was stopped by police and thrown in prison.

After a jail stint he accepted the help of a charity that works with reformed gang members. He claims that he no longer carries out moped robberies.

The ex-con claims to have turned his life around and says he only started moped mugging so he could feed his family.

Justifying his actions, he said he could have used a knife or gun, or started selling drugs, but decided to take the path that would hurt the least people.

Last month, the London Assembly launched an urgent investigation into the recent surge in violent crime in the capital.

Of the 74 murders in London this year, 46 have involved knives and 10 guns.

President Donald Trump is being urged to press Kim Jong-un to make a goodwill gesture and return the USS Pueblo, a U.S. Navy ship seized and captured by North Korea 50 years ago and used as a propaganda instrument.

The North Korean Navy seized the Pueblo in 1968, after firing at the vessel while it was mapping the North Korean coast from international waters 16 miles offshore, according to the military.

It fired on the vessel, injuring 10 crew members and killing one U.S. sailor. North Korea held 82 surviving sailors prisoner for 11 months under harsh conditions that included beatings and interrogations.

North Korea has held onto the vessel, a former World War II supply ship converted for signals intelligence spying, as a form of trophy, turning it into a museum in Pyongyang.

STILL THERE: In this June 22, 2006, file photo released by the North Korean government, North Korean soldiers watch USS Pueblo, which was seized by North Korean navy off the Korean coast near Taedonggang river in Pyongyang, North Korea. In January 1968, North Korean navy boats attacked and captured the USS Pueblo off the Northis east coast

Retired Lt. Col. James G. Zumwalt urged Trump to push for the return of the ship in part as a way to engage the intentions of North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un. He laid out in the argument in an article in the conservative Breitbart news site.

'By demanding Pueblo's return, Trump should quickly be able to size up his opponent quickly,' Zumwalt wrote.

'If the U.S. demanded the ship's release, whether Kim proved willing to do so would be most telling as to how desperate he is to make a deal,' Zumwalt continued. 'If Kim seriously wanted a deal he would run the risk of abandoning his 'tough guy' image not only to the world but, more importantly for him, to his own military.'

The cause also got a pitch from retired longtime Fox News host Greta Van Susteren.

A North Korean Naval force seized the American intelligence ship, USS Pueblo (shown in a file photo) on the high seas early 1/23/1968. As MIG fighters circled overhead, the Pueblo, with 83 men aboard, was forced by Communist patrol boats to put into the North Korean port of Wonsan

DEFIANT: The captured crew of the U.S.S. Pueblo inserted sly gestures into propaganda photos

The USS Pueblo is on display in Pyongyang

'Maybe NK will return the USS Pueblo,' she tweeted before the summit.

She added: 'NK captured the USS Pueblo 1968 and holds it in Pyongyang harbor (I was on it during one of my trips to NK)-perhaps NK will return our navy ship? It is time (actually ...past time...).'

The ship remains at the Victorious War Museum in Pyongyang.

In May, an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal argued: 'Kim Jong-un could close the wounds of the Pueblo Incident and transform the ship into a symbol of reconciliation. As for Mr. Trump, bringing the Pueblo home would be an accomplishment that has eluded nine presidents.'

The push makes it likely that the issue is on the radar of President Trump's 14-member delegation in Singapore for the summit, although a National Security Council Spokesman wouldn't comment directly on whether the matter was on the agenda. 'Right now we aren't sharing negotiations with the press,' said the spokesman.

The loss of the ship a political embarrassment at the height of the Tet offensive in Vietnam, and also represented an intelligence loss. Crew members worked to burn and destroy material before the ship was seized.

Captured crew made defiant gestures in their long captivity, even as North Korea tried to use them as propaganda. They stuck out their middle fingers in a defiant gesture that at first went unnoticed by their oblivious captors, who distributed the photos for propaganda.

Former Fox News host Great Van Susteren is among those pressing the issue

Former Fox News host Great Van Susteren is among those pressing the issue

The Pueblo's crew surrendered on Jan. 23, 1968

Crew members told their captors the gesture was a 'Hawaiian good-luck sign,' a story that only held up until its real significance was discovered.

During the harrowing incident, crew members weren't able to destroy all the information they had collected.

'We had large, weighted bags for dumping documents,' Don Peppard, president of the ship's veterans association, told Fox News for a piece that ran on the 50th anniversary of the ship's capture in January. 'The problem was that there were just too many documents for us to destroy in such a short time. The North Koreans got a lot of documents.'A candle-lit vigil has been held for a British mother who has been in an Iranian jail for the past 800 days as her supporters claim she is being used as a 'political pawn'.

Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, a British-Iranian charity worker, was arrested and jailed for allegedly seeking to overthrow the government in 2016.

She has consistently denied all allegations, insisting she was on holiday to introduce her daughter to her family.

Today a vigil was held outside the Foreign Office in London where friends and family members lit 800 candles for Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe on her daughter Gabriella's fourth birthday.

Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe's husband, Richard (pictured), attended the vigil outside the Foreign Office in London today

Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe, a British-Iranian charity worker, was arrested and jailed for allegedly seeking to overthrow the government in 2016. Gabriella was able to visit her mother in prison today to celebrate her birthday

800 candles were lit to mark the 800 days Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe has spent in jail. The candles said 'happy birthday Gabriella'

Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe's husband Richard, from West Hampstead, London, said: 'Part of the reason we're here in front of the Foreign Office is just to say "listen, this is still going on. Please find a way to solve this."'

He said they have been seeking diplomatic protection for Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe from Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson.

He added: 'There are clearly things going on between UK and Iran's relationship. That means that we are a political bargaining chip - partly because we're so high-profile.'

Mr Johnson walked past the vigil, waving at supporters as he went into his office.

Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe had hoped she would be granted temporary release from prison, where she is serving a five-year prison sentence, to celebrate the birthday, but the application was refused.

Instead she was able to spend Gabriella's birthday with her in prison. Friends and family members also sang happy birthday to her daughter over Skype at the vigil.

Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe's husband Richard, from West Hampstead, London, said: 'Part of the reason we're here in front of the Foreign Office is just to say "listen, this is still going on. Please find a way to solve this"'

Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson walked past the vigil, waving at supporters as he went into his office

Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe's sister-in-law, Rebecca (left), attended the vigil where Hampstead and Kilburn MP Tulip Siddiq gave a speech

She is facing a further hearing accused of an unspecified security charge and her husband believes she will be accused of spreading propaganda against Tehran's Islamist regime.

Shirin Ebadi, an Iranian human rights lawyer, former judge and human rights activist, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2003 for her efforts to promote democracy and human rights, called for the mother-of-one to be released.

She said: 'Yes, Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe is being used as a political pawn but it is not just her.

'There are currently over 30 dual nationals that are being held in Iran, so pressure must be put on the Iranian government in that regard.

'Any trade agreements must be conditional on the release of these dual nationals.'

Hampstead and Kilburn Labour MP Tulip Siddiq gave a speech at the vigil in which she said she has written to Prime Minister Theresa May about the issue.

She said: '(The PM) needs to meet Richard and realise that this is a normal family from West Hampstead who haven't seen their child and haven't been together in years.'Melania Trump is making a slow return to the public eye after being out of sight for nearly a month, putting out her first statement on her Be Best campaign since her surgery and carrying out a series of public appearances.

Her disappearance after she underwent a kidney procedure, followed by later comments from President Donald Trump that she had a 'four-hour operation' led to a rash of conspiracy theories about her hospitalization and questions about why there where no photographs of the first lady meeting with her staff, as her office claimed she was.

Her office has repeatedly said the first lady is fine and been meeting with staff on upcoming events and her Be Best project.

And now Melania Trump is making her comeback.

On Monday, her office released a statement with the first lady praising the Department of Health and Human Services for its new guidelines on how states can cover the cost of treating babies suffering from neonatal abstinence syndrome - otherwise known as opiate withdrawal.

First Lady Melania Trump attends special reception at Ford's Theatre honoring recipients of the Lincoln Medal.

First Lady Melania Trump honors recipients of the Lincoln Medal.

First Lady Melania Trump honors recipients of the Lincoln Medal.

Last year President Trump and the first lady attended the Ford Theater Gala together

Melania's first public sighting since her surgery was at a Gold Star Families event at the White House last week

'It is our responsibility to do all we can to ensure our most vulnerable are protected,' she said.

In October, the first lady visited Lily's Place, a rehab drug center for infants in West Virginia.

Melania mentioned that visit and her new Be Best program in her statement.

'Be Best' is dedicated to bringing attention to successful programs like Lily's Place because our nation needs more programs like these to help struggling Americans. I am proud to support HHS in its continued efforts to combat the opioid epidemic,' she said.

The first lady announced her signature initiative seven days before she went to Walter Reed Military Medical Center on May 14 for an embolization procedure.

In her Be Best announcement she vowed to help kids 'be best' and called for children to develop 'positive online behaviors' and 'choose their words wisely' online, and learn to 'speak with respect and compassion.'

Her office said she's been meeting with her staff on her signature initiative while recovering from her procedure.

It's been a slow rollout for the notoriously private first lady.

Her statement followed her low-key appearance last Monday - her first sighting since her surgery - where she attended a Gold Star Families appearance at the White House.

It was closed press, which allowed her office a measure of control in that it was able to put out its own photos of the event although the DailyMail.com obtained an image of the first lady honoring the families who lost a loved one in the military.

Melania Trump has come out her shell a bit more since then.

The first lady made a solo stop at a tribute to former President Abraham Lincoln at Ford's Theatre Sunday evening, wearing a black $2,700 Escada gown.

'I was honored to be part of such a special evening,' she said in a statement.

As honorary co-chair of the occasion, she also delivered remarks to the audience.

First Lady Melania Trump announces her "Be Best" children's initiative on May 7

Melania Trump and White House advisor Kellyanne Convay attend a roundtable at Lily's Place, the first nonprofit infant recovery center that provides services to parents and families dealing with addiction in Huntington, West Virginia

Melania Trump has worked on her Be Best initiative while recovering from her surgery

She visited Lily's Place in West Virginia in October

She attended alone as President Trump is in Singapore preparing for his meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un.

The first lady did not accompany him to Asia for the historic meeting, nor did she travel with him to Canada for G7 gathering before he flew East.

Trump on Friday, before he left for Canada, said that her doctors have prohibited her from flying for a month.

'Can't fly for one month, the doctors say,' he said.

'She wanted to go,' Trump said. 'She had a big operation, that was close to a 4-hour operation. And she's doing great.'

That assessment appeared far more serious than what the White House had previously said - that she had undergone a 'procedure'.

The procedure, an embolization, commonly takes up to three hours, suggesting that the one performed on the first lady was more complicated than the average.

Trump's use of the word 'operation' differs from the statement put out by her office when it announced she was hospitalized.

The statement said she had an 'embolization procedure for a benign kidney condition.' She remained in the hospital for five days afterward.

Melania Trump made her second public appearance since her kidney surgery Wednesday afternoon when she joined the president at a briefing on hurricane preparedness at FEMA.

Melania's first close ups since her surgery was a hurricane preparedness briefing

The first lady didn't speak during the briefing on the 2018 hurricane season

President Trump reassured his wife 'people love you' during the event

Melania Trump has made a slow comeback since being out of the public eye for almost a month

Trump reassured her 'people love you ... honey' after he tore into the 'fake news' in a twitter rant defending his wife and accused the media of covering up the first lady's recovery along with promoting 'vicious' rumors about her.

He noted she 'went through a little rough patch but she's doing great. The people of our country love you. Thank you, honey.'

She did not speak at the briefing but held hands with her husband upon on her return to the White House.

Melania Trump didn't attend an event with the first lady of Japan on Thursday.

'Mrs. Trump had a previously scheduled event with her son and was regrettably not able to host Mrs. Abe,' the first lady's communications director Stephanie Grisham told DailyMail.com.

Her last public appearance before her surgery was on May 10, when she joined her husband to welcome the return of three Americans who were being held captive in North Korea.

Another outing may be in the works soon.

Grisham told the DailyMail.com in May the first lady has also been working on upcoming projects like the annual White House congressional picnic and Fourth of July plans.

No date has been set for this year's congressional picnic but last year's took place on June 22 on the White House South Lawn. The White House traditionally hosts a big Fourth of July celebration.The decapitated body of an 81-year-old woman has been found in a Chicago home, police say.

Authorities indicated that the woman, whose identity has not been released, was 'senselessly and viciously murdered' in her home in the Rosemoor neighborhood of Chicago's Far South Side.

Her remains were discovered in storage bins on Sunday at around noon after a real estate agent who had been trying to get in contact with her for several days smelled a foul odor and called police.

Police described the scene as 'very clean', and as of Monday afternoon no one has been taken into custody and no weapon has been recovered.

Police discovered the dismembered remains of an 81-year-old woman on Sunday at her home in Chicago. The Far South Side neighborhood is pictured above

'Whoever did this put a lot of effort and time into doing this horrific act,' Chicago Police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said.

'Right now we are relying very heavily on physical evidence from the crime scene, assuming she was murdered in this home. We don't know for sure.'

The Cook County Medical Examiner's Office conducted an autopsy on the woman Monday, but has not yet ruled on the cause and manner of death, pending further investigation.

It is unclear when she was killed or whether there are any persons of interest at this time.

The woman's neighbors told NBC5 that she had owned the house since the 70s but rented out the property.

She had reportedly moved back in the day before Memorial Day, about three weeks before she was found dead.A man who discovered he was fathered by an undercover police officer yesterday backed the controversial 'spy cops' protest campaign by cosmetics firm Lush.

The unnamed man, a core participant in an inquiry into undercover police tactics, says his rights have been ignored.

He praised Lush, which put photos of officers with the slogan 'Paid to lie' in shop windows last month.

The window displays appeared in Lush's 105 outlets under the headline 'Paid to Lie'

He says his mother was duped into a relationship with an officer who posed as an animal rights activist while spying on her before disappearing two years after he was born. For years he believed his father had gone on the run to escape arrest.

Lush sparked outrage when it launched what critics called a 'crass and insensitive anti-police hate campaign'. The company said it was supporting the Police Spies Out Of Lives campaign for women tricked into sleeping with undercover officers who infiltrated anti-capitalist and green protest groups over a 40-year period.

Lush removed the posters last week, citing intimidation of staff by former police officers.

Lush's co-founder Mark Constantine, left, has appeared on stage with Jeremy Corbyn, right

Home Secretary Sajid Javid criticised the protest  approved by Lush's Jeremy Corbyn-supporting co-founder Mark Constantine  saying: 'I never thought I would see a mainstream British retailer running a public advertising campaign against our hard-working police. This is not a responsible way to make a point.'

Sara Thornton, chairman of the National Police Chiefs' Council, said the Lush campaign was 'both insulting and damaging to the tens of thousands of officers who place themselves in harm's way to protect the public on a daily basis, and who have nothing at all to do with the undercover inquiry'.

But the undercover officer's son praised the campaign, suggesting police deception led to the systemic, institutional sexual abuse of female activists. He said: 'My very existence is the result of undercover policing... if they didn't sleep with those they were spying on, I wouldn't be here today.

'If it wasn't for the work of activists and journalists exposing undercover police, would I have ever found out? The police denied me the chance to meet my father earlier, to forgive him earlier and to build a relationship with him when I was struggling to develop an identity of my own.

'I am so grateful to Lush for using its shop windows to highlight what the police and state get up to in order to suppress political activism they don't agree with.

'To attack Lush is to side with the current police approach of not talking with me and other victims, not allowing us to know the truth... and move on with our lives.

'Rather than join in with the cynical attacks on Lush, Sajid Javid should use his position to demand the police properly engage with the public inquiry.'A brewery left so badly damaged by an invasion of travellers that 1,700 pints of ale had to be poured away is now ceasing production at the ransacked site.

The Thwaites brewery has been making beer for two centuries at its headquarters in Blackburn, but was torn apart in three days last month by 100 travellers, who left behind an estimated 100,000 of damage.

After police said they negotiated with the travellers to encourage them to move, the 21 caravans were escorted to the M65 motorway on May 28 and allowed to drive off.

Workers returned after the bank holiday weekend to ransacked desks, smashed windows and human waste strewn around the yard. Copper wiring had been stolen, and there were fears the beer stocks had been contaminated.

Thwaites Brewery in Blackburn, Lancashire, was left so badly damaged after an invasion of travellers that 1,700 pints of ale had to be poured away

The 200-year-old brewery was torn apart in three days last month by 100 travellers, who left behind an estimated 100,000 of damage

As of last night, not a single arrest had been made.

I couldnt believe it when I saw the damage they caused. It makes no sense, said Harry Brunt, a brewer at Thwaites for 21 years. They were just animals. It felt so sad to pour away our beer.

Production is now set to move four miles away to Thwaites new 12million headquarters in Mellor Brook, which opens later this year. Rick Bailey, Thwaites chief executive, said: Its really upsetting that 211 years of brewing at our site in Blackburn has ended in this fashion. Blackburn MP Kate Hollern described the mess and vandalism as absolutely appalling.

I want to see more action from the police because, for me, it was a break-in  there was theft and criminal damage, she told the Lancashire Telegraph.

Workers returned after the bank holiday weekend to ransacked desks, smashed windows and human waste strewn around the yardTaxpayers money is being used to help foreign nurses pass English language tests in order to land jobs with the NHS.

Recruits are being given up to 400 towards the cost of being trained to sit crucial exams which test their English skills.

It is just one incentive being given to foreign nurses by hospitals desperate to overcome a staffing crisis in the NHS.

Taxpayers will pay up to 400 to help overseas medics pass exam and up to 293 to fly them to the UK

Also on offer are free return flights from their home country, 293 to cover the cost of registering with the Nursing and Midwifery Council and a further 428 for a recruits initial UK visa, as well as subsidised accommodation for a specified period.

NHS trusts are also picking up the 992 bill for sitting a key exam which is part of the process of registering with the NMC.

A senior NHS official told the Mail that the market for recruitment of foreign nurses is very competitive.

The website of a firm called Chesham Recruitment, based in the Philippines, is advertising Skype interviews for life-changing, permanent nursing jobs at two NHS trusts.

It says candidates for jobs at the Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust must be registered general nurses who have completed a four-year diploma course and have at least 18 months of recent post-qualification acute care experience.

To support applicants, the firm said: The Trust will reimburse up to 400 towards the cost of acquiring the mandatory International English Language Testing System test scores, including training/review costs, if any, to candidates who are successfully deployed.

Meanwhile, inducements to work for the Cambridge University Hospitals Trust include the cost of a UK visa and return flights from Manila  even if the candidate is not successful in achieving NMC registration. It adds: The Trust will provide the first months accommodation on site, free ... plus free meals on the day of arrival and a cash advance of 500 paid to you on the day of your arrival, which will be paid back from your salary over a six-month period.

NHS trusts are also picking up the 992 bill for sitting a key exam which is part of the process of registering with the Nursing and Midwifery Council

They will also be entitled to access to the Trusts Deposit Loan Scheme, which offers new employees the opportunity to borrow up to 3,000 to support their initial relocation off-site. Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust said: This is a positive step to recruit and retain staff who deliver high quality, safe care for our patients. We, like other Trusts, regularly recruit internationally to help fill vacant posts and reduce the use of temporary nursing staff which can be very expensive.

A Cambridge University Hospitals spokesman said: The current vacancy rate for registered nurses is 12.8 per cent, but there is a strong pipeline of nurses joining the Trust. This month 44 nurses will be joining, of which 33 will be international. This financial year, 2018/19, we are looking to recruit 550 nurses, of which 306 will be international.

The pledge to pick up the bill for nurses to qualify under the IELTS comes after recent attempts to recruit hundreds of nurses from the Philippines were unsuccessful because of language problems.

A hospital in the Midlands spent 19,000 on a trip to the country to interview 115 nurses but filled just three roles. According to reports, 108 candidates were turned away after failing to pass an English language test  prompting council chiefs to describe the journey by the Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust as a total waste.One White House official summed up President Donald Trump's foreign policy doctrine with the simple phrase: 'We're America, b***h'

That blunt attitude of political red meat that feeds the voters who elected Trump comes as he heads into his first meeting with North Korean President Kim Jong-Un in Singapore and follows his war of words with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

Atlantic columnist Jeffrey Goldberg went in search of a summary of Trump's foreign policy philosophy, a subject of growing interest in light of the president's historic summit with Kim.

'There's definitely a Trump Doctrine,' an official said.

And then the person defined it: 'The Trump Doctrine is 'We're America, b***h.' That's the Trump Doctrine.'

President Donald Trump talking with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and surrounded by other G7 leaders during a meeting of the G7 Summit in La Malbaie, Quebec, Canada.

President Donald Trump listens during a meeting with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong ahead of a summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un

President Donald Trump, left, listens as he meets with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong ahead of a summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, center, walks in Marina Bay, Singapore

The person was described as a senior White House official with direct access to the president and his thinking.

To Trump's supporters, 'We're America, b***h' could be seen 'as a middle finger directed at a cold and unfair world,' a feeling of anger that many voters described as a reason to vote for Trump, who they saw fighting for the American middle class.

But to much of the world, 'We're America, b***h' would be seen as self-isolating, and self-sabotaging.

The saying, however, is red meat to Trump supporters in the country's heartland who described feeling left behind by East Coast elites and whose rallied behind Trump's blunt talk about America's greatness.

President Trump is in Singapore for an historic summit meeting

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un arrives at the Changi International Airport Sunday

It sets the tone for the president's historic meeting with Kim and follows his war of words with Trudeau over new tariffs imposed by Trump's administration that the president sees as a defense of the American economy.

But there were other schools of thought on Trump's guiding light when it comes foreign affairs.

Another official described the Trump doctrine as 'Permanent destabilization creates American advantage.'

This official said the president believes that keeping allies and adversaries alike perpetually off-balance benefits the U.S.

'They'll see over time that it doesn't pay to argue with us,' the official said.

Yet another official described the Trump Doctrine to the Atlantic as: 'No Friends, No Enemies.'

The idea here is that the United States has shifting alliances, not permanent friends.

Trump, the official said, doesn't believe that the U.S. should be part of any alliance at all.

'We have to explain to him that countries that have worked with us together in the past expect a level of loyalty from us, but he doesn't believe that this should factor into the equation,' the official said.

The president' foreign policy prowess is under a microscope as he comes face to face with Kim for the first time at their summit in Singapore on Monday evening at 9pm EST, (9am Tuesday, Singapore time).

Trump also engaged in a war of words with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau

Trudeau is angry about new steal tariffs the Trump administration enacted

A U.S. official said Trump and Kim will speak with only translators present before a joint meeting with their delegations, as is consistent with the way that conversations with foreign leaders are typically handled. The president usually spends several minutes alone with his counterparts before moving into expanded bilaterals.

A White House statement on Monday evening in Singapore said the meeting would be followed by a working lunch and press avail before Trump departs for Washington a day earlier than was anticipated.

Trump will meet North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un one-on-one when the two leaders come face to face for the first time at a summit in Singapore on Monday evening at 9pm EST, (9am Tuesday, Singapore time).

A U.S. official said Trump and Kim will speak with only translators present before a joint meeting with their delegations, as is consistent with the way that conversations with foreign leaders are typically handled. The president usually spends several minutes alone with his counterparts before moving into expanded bilaterals.

A White House statement on Monday evening in Singapore said the meeting would be followed by a working lunch and press avail before Trump departs for Washington a day earlier than was anticipated.

'The discussions between the United States and North Korea are ongoing and have moved more quickly than expected,' the statement said in an explanation of Trump's newly announced Tuesday evening departure.

Trump signaled Monday in his first tweets from Singapore exactly where his focus was heading into a nuclear summit with Kim Jong-un - and it wasn't on the decades-old dispute with North Korea over its threatening behavior.

Trump instead took aim at Trudeau, who he's been sparring with from across the International Dateline over steel and aluminum tariffs the U.S. imposed on its allies in the name of national security.

'Fair Trade is now to be called Fool Trade if it is not Reciprocal,' Trump on Monday morning harrumphed. 'According to a Canada release, they make almost 100 Billion Dollars in Trade with U.S. (guess they were bragging and got caught!). Minimum is 17B. Tax Dairy from us at 270%. Then Justin acts hurt when called out!'

The European Union was next on Trump's list, with the president complaining in follow-up tweets that the U.S. foots the bill for the bulk of the West's shared security through the North Atlantic Treaty Organization only to get ripped off by the very same countries in the trade arena.

Only after the rant did Trump mention the 'excitement in the air' in Singapore, the high-class city that doubles as a nation and is generously footing bill for his $20 million Kim summit.Ofsted chief Amanda Spielman warned children are arriving for school unable to speak properly or use the toilet

Poorer parents are less likely to send their pre-school child to nursery even though it is free and has been proved to boost attainment, a new study has found.

Research by the London School of Economics (LSE) has found a 13 percentage point difference between advantaged and disadvantaged children taking up free pre-school places.

It comes after Ofsted chief Amanda Spielman warned a rising number of children are arriving for their first year of school unable to speak properly or use the toilet. She wants nurseries to teach children these basic skills if parents have failed to do so, to make sure they are school ready by the age of five.

But yesterdays LSE study casts doubt over the abilities of nurseries to solve the issue when some children are simply being kept at home.

It found almost one in five children delays taking up a free place in pre-school education  most of them from low-income families.

Around one third of persistently poor children delays, compared to one sixth of their higher-income peers.

The researchers found that persistently poor children are 13 percentage points less likely to attend for the full five terms of free pre-school education than children from higher-income families.

Persistently poor children were defined as who were eligible for the pupil premium  a deprivation indicator  for all three years of early primary school.

In addition, migrant children  those who speak English as an additional language  were nearly three times more likely not to take up their full five terms as their peers.

The LSE researchers said the findings were worrying because nursery is a key component to bridging the gap in attainment between rich and poor children.

Author Dr Tammy Campbell said: Universally funded pre-school education is not, in fact, being accessed equally by all children.

The families who are benefitting most from the policy are those who are already advantaged in many ways  while low-income children miss out.

Its time for a clear and transparent reassessment of the purpose of funding for the pre-school stage  looking properly at which children win under the current system, and at who misses out.

Since 2004, all three and four-year-olds have been allowed a free nursery place.

In 2010 the entitlement rose from 12.5 to 15 hours a week and in 2013, free places were extended to two-year-olds from low-income families.

In 2017, there was an additional expansion to 30 funded hours a week for three and four-year-olds with working parents.

Poorer parents are less likely to send their pre-school child to nursery even though it is free, according to research (stock image used)

The paper, Universal early education: who benefits?, was funded by the Nuffield Foundation and is published in the British Educational Research Journal.

It found the free places have been disproportionately benefitting children from higher income families who least need a head start.

It said: With over 2,000 now allocated annually to each eligible child, these places have become the central initiative aimed at creating a more equitable start for children in England.

This is especially true given the squeeze since 2010 on funding for other early childhood initiatives, including Sure Start childrens centres, as well as reductions in cash benefits for families with young children.

The researchers also examined whether the type of pre-school provision available locally makes a difference to take-up.

They found that in areas where more children take their places in Sure Start centres, take-up was highest among all children  and the gap between low- and higher-income children much smaller.

In contrast, areas with most pre-school places provided through the private sector have the largest gap in take-up between low- and higher-income families.

The authors called on the government to re-think their policy to make sure more disadvantaged children benefitted from nurseries.

It comes after education secretary Damian Hinds spoke of the tragedy of children turning up to school unable to understand basic commands.

Studies have shown these children quickly fall behind and can underachieve for the rest of their lives.

Earlier this year, Mr Hinds launched a series of initiatives targeted at disadvantaged families encouraging them to read to their children and sing nursery rhymes, in a bid to help them learn more vocabulary.Dry wit. Disarming humility. An appreciation for wiggle room, and lots of it.

After six years of self-imposed isolation from the world stage, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has demonstrated a surprisingly well-stocked toolbox of negotiating tactics in high-stakes summits with the presidents of South Korea and China over the past two months.

What might he try out in Tuesday's summit with President Donald Trump?

Here's a quick playbook of some of the tactics Kim might be expected to lean on and how they might play out when he sits down for his highest-stakes meeting yet.

After six years of self-imposed isolation from the world stage, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has formed a well-stocked toolbox of negotiating tactics in high-stakes summits

The North Korean leader is meeting with President Donald Trump in Singapore on Tuesday morning

THE ELEMENT OF SURPRISE

Kim wasted no time in unleashing this one on South Korean President Moon Jae-in when they met for the first time two months ago in the Demilitarized Zone that divides their two countries.

After the two shook hands across the dividing line and Kim stepped across into the South, as scripted, he took Moon's hand and walked him back over the line and into the North.

The seemingly simple, impromptu act was filled with symbolism and widely welcomed in the South as a sign of his desire for Korean unity.

Kim also wowed the South Koreans with his seemingly unexpected willingness to sit and have a leisurely chat with Moon as the two took a stroll through the DMZ.

His meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping, meanwhile, had a strong element of surprise to them as well, at least to the outside world.

Trump has suggested even he didn't know ahead of time about the second one, and expressed frustration over whether Xi might have tried to use that meeting to throw a monkey wrench into the Singapore meeting.

Kim wasted no time in unleashing the element of surprise on South Korean President Moon Jae-in when they met for the first time two months ago in the Demilitarized Zone that divides their two countries. He took Moon's hand and they walked across the DMZ together

THE POWER OF PREPARATION

North Korean negotiators do their homework. And they stay doggedly on message.

Trump can expect Kim to be well informed and well versed in his talking points. He will almost certainly know more about the United States and its history than Trump will know about North Korea.

He will, in other words, have a strong point of view and an ideology that supports it. He will go into the meeting well briefed and keenly aware of the needs and fears of the vested interests within the regime, whose support he literally can't live without.

Whatever strategy he takes with Trump will undoubtedly have been polished carefully before their first handshake.

Kim is, of course, the boss. As White House officials have stressed, he has leeway to work off the cuff.

Spur-of-the-moment deals can be made. Preparation, however, will be the foundation underneath whatever Kim chooses to do.

And, considering Trump's reported impatience with homework assignments, Pyongyang may well be banking on it being Kim's biggest advantage.

KEEP THEM GUESSING

Ambiguity can be awesome. Expect Kim to deploy it often.

The summit in Singapore is only happening because no one has really pinned Kim down on what he means by the topic at the very center of it all - denuclearization.

His meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping also had a strong element of surprise to them as well, at least to the outside world

A pessimistic reading of Pyongyang's statements to date could suggest that far from being ready to talk about handing his nuclear arsenal over to Trump, Kim has been telling the world that he's intent on keeping them until all the nuclear powers give theirs up, too.

The real key to understanding North Korean negotiations is to simply accept that they will try to maintain enough wiggle room to seem like they are promising to do something that they may at a later date decide not to do at all.

That's not being dishonest, or breaking promises. It's just being smart. Especially if you can coax your negotiation partner into actually promising something they can't later deny or back out of.

Like getting the U.S. president to green light a one-on-one summit meeting, as an equal.

USE YOUR CHARISMA

This is another technique Kim put to good use in his meetings with South Korea's Moon.

By being generous with his smile, speaking in a respectful manner to Moon, bringing along his wife and just generally acting like a fellow human being - not a psychopathic monster as he is so often portrayed by the South Korean media - Kim has gone a long way in just two summits toward swaying public opinion in the South in his favor.

And that's despite the fact that he still has thousands of artillery units ready to pulverize Seoul whenever he chooses.

Kim is also a bone fide, A-list celebrity of the kind that can drive ratings into the stratosphere. That buys a lot of credibility with Trump's reality show host alter ego.

And who knows? With these two oversize personalities topping the bill, the Kim and Trump show could be, well, huge.Middle class drug-users care more about where their coffee comes from than the origin of their cocaine, a Tory peer said yesterday.

Victims commissioner Baroness Newlove said they were as guilty as the moped-riding criminal gangs for the wave of knife and gun attacks across the UK.

She told peers the perpetrators of this wave of violence did not just include gangs but also the middle-class drug users who are funding it. She said: City workers who drink their Fair Trade coffee out of reusable cups during the week think nothing of the supply chain of the stuff they snort up their noses at the weekend. In my view they are as guilty as the moped riders.

Victims commissioner Baroness Newlove has said that middle class drug-users are as guilty as the moped-riding criminal gangs for the wave of knife and gun attacks across the UK

Lady Newlove, whose husband Garry was murdered by three youths in Warrington, Cheshire, in 2007, said social attitudes needed to change to stem the increase in crack cocaine use. The franchising of drug supply across our country... has brought violent crime into provincial towns and villages, right into the heart of our countryside, she said.

Its a symptom of the rotten supply chain of middle-class drug taking. Former Metropolitan Police commissioner Lord Hogan-Howe told the debate on the Governments Serious Violence Strategy the increase in gun and knife crime was linked to drugs and called for the appointment of more officers.

He said too many people were carrying knives and called for an increase in the use of intelligently targeted stop-and-search powers.

Opening the debate for the Government, Baroness Manzoor said ministers were extremely concerned about the increase in knife and gun crime and homicide.

She said: 'City workers who drink their Fair Trade coffee out of reusable cups during the week think nothing of the supply chain of the stuff they snort up their noses at the weekend' (file photo)

She said too many young people had lost their lives in a wave of senseless violence, which had to stop. Independent crossbencher Lord Bird, founder of The Big Issue magazine, argued poverty was a major cause of why we have crime in our streets.

Of those caught up in crime, he said: Very rarely do they come from the comfortable classes, they come the discomforted classes and the discomforted classes are the people who have been shortchanged on the kind of education that they desperately need.

Tory peer Lord Balfe was deeply critical of the introduction of police and crime commissioners, branding the posts totally useless. He said: What I would like to see is the police going back to doing a bit more policing.

For the Liberal Democrats, Lord Paddick called for cuts in police budgets to be reversed to tackle the epidemic of violent crime.A former electrician has left his old life behind to go undercover as a fake paedophile to save children from sex slavery.

Tony Kirwan, from Queensland, has rescued almost 2000 children while working for the charity he founded 17 years ago, Destiny Rescue, in Southeast Asia.

Mr Kirwan now trawls the brothels and karaoke bars of a Manila red light district, looking for underage girls to rescue.

Scroll down for video

Mr Kirwan now trawls the brothels and karaoke bars of a Manila red light district, looking for underage girls to rescue

Queenslander Tony Kirwan (pictured) has rescued almost 2000 children while working for the charity he founded 17 years ago, Destiny Rescue, in Southeast Asia

'We're looking for girls a bit younger than this. Getting fussy in me old age,' Mr Kirwan tells a Swiss tourist while accompanied by SBS's Dateline.

Mr Kirwan and his team wear hidden cameras to free children who have been coerced into working in the sex trade.

At one bar Tony tells the mamasan the young girls, and is given a phone number to call.

The Destiny Rescue team then pass on that information to the local police, whose anti-trafficking unit relies on help from NGOs to put a dent in the sex trade.

After rescue comes rehabilitation, while the Christian charity working to stop sex trafficking victims from returning to prostitution.

The key to the rescues is trust, Mr Kirwan said, convincing the girls they are good people while the pimps still think they are paedophiles.

Mr Kirwan and his team wear hidden cameras to free children who have been coerced into working in the sex trade

'You're definitely role playing. To the bouncers or the mamasan, you want to look like a normal customer,' Mr Kirwan told Dateline journalist Amos Roberts.

'To the child you want to look totally different to every other customer that she's ever sat with. So it's this balancing act of, of just acting all the time.'

Mr Kirwan said he had to overcome his own innocence to be able to do the work, saying it was hard for him to even walk into a brothel.

Almost two decades later his work is paying off, and Destiny Rescue is active in the Philippines, Cambodia, India and Thailand.

The charity aims to rescue 100,000 children from sex trafficking by 2020 with the help of hundreds of volunteers and employees worldwide.A fire has erupted at a house in an affluent Sydney suburb.

Firefighters are currently battling the blaze at a property on Caledonia Street in Paddington.

Thick black smoke can be seen billowing from the house.

It is not yet clear if anyone was inside the house when the blaze started.

More to come.A New Jersey man was stunned when he allegedly came across a familiar photo of himself flashing hundred dollar bills on Pornhub, and is suing a tech company that owns the site.

Edward Kelly, of Marlton, is seeking $3million in damages against MindGeek USA, a company that also operates RedTube, Brazzers and Reality Kings, among others.

Kelly claims a friend spotted his face in an advertisement while visiting the adult site, according to the lawsuit filed in federal court this week.

The man claims in the suit he suffered severe emotional distress and said he has been 'dismayed and distraught' over the matter.

Scroll down for video

This advertisement allegedly posted to adult video site Pornhub shows an unsolicited photo of Marlton native Edward Kelly. Kelly is suing Pornhub's operator, MindGeek USA for $3million

The snapshot, which he alleges was taken without his permission, shows his face and is cheekily captioned: 'Make $752/day Like Me' and 'See how I get it.'

Next to his face, Kelly is seen holding several hundred in cash.

The photo has allegedly been floating around Pornhub for about six years, according to the Courier Post.

'Someone on Pornhubs advertising team found the photo and decided to use it in an ad campaign without Kelly's consent,' the suit states further.

Pornhub Vice President Corey Price said in an email statement to DailyMail.com: "Although we dont generally comment on preceding before courts, we would like to clarify that Pornhub did not create the ad in question.

'Our banner ads are run through third party networks, on which advertisers directly place their content.'

A lawyer for the company could not be immediately reached early Monday evening.

The ad showing Kelly has allegedly been floating around Pornhub for about six years. Seen above is an image of adult film actress Asa Akira at the AVN Adult Entertainment Expo on January 24, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada

Kelly is seeking $2million for 'general compensatory damages' including emotional turmoil, and the remaining $1million for 'infringers profits.'

The man said he works 'in the secular computer field,' making matters even worse, according to the suit.

He cites concern that colleagues 'could reasonably believe he intentionally consented to Pornhubs use of his image.'

Pornhub has been deemed the 'largest' pornographic video sharing site on the web.

The porn webpage averaged '81 million visitors per day' and '28.5 billion visitors' in 2017, according to Forbes.Former New Jersey Governor, Chris Christie, opened a law practice and Rudy Giuliani made the claim that he sent Christie two of his former clients. A claim which has been denied by Christie's team.

Christie was a lawyer by trade before he entered the political arena, and it helped him become an elected official. It makes sense that he is staying in his wheelhouse as he finds his way in civilian life.



The Christie Law Firm was registered with the state Office of Attorney Ethics in April and has an address registered to Christie's home in Mendham, according to a report in New Jersey The Record.

It is unclear what kind of law Christie will be working with, but Giuliani- former New York mayor-turned private practice lawyer- turned Trump's personal counsel, told the Record he had sent Christie two clients he was no longer able work with under his new position with Trump.

Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie (pictured with wife Mary Pat) has started a law firm not that he has left the political arena

Rudy Giuliani had commented he sent two clients Christie's way, but a spokesman for the former governor says that is simply not the case

However, a representative for Christie says that that is not the case.

'Gov. Christie has not been referred any clients from Mayor Giuliani,' Christie spokesperson Pete Sheridan said in an email.

Before representing Trump, Giuliani worked for the Greenberg Traurig law firm.

Christie, nearing the end of his formal transition out of state government, established the new practice based in his Morris County hometown.

State records also show the Republican has an attorney identification number and his law license is in good standing.

Christie, a Republican, left office in January after two terms when he handed over state government to Democrat Phil Murphy. He soon announced he was taking a position with ABC News as a political analyst and legal contributor.

Christie received his law degree from Seton Hall University and worked on securities and election law as a partner with a Cranford-based law firm before starting his political career.

He was the U.S. attorney for New Jersey from 2002-2008 before winning the governor's seat in 2009. He was re-elected four years later.

The former governor's new law firm was registered to his home in Mendham (shown) in April

Christie was an early supporter of Donald Trump during the 2016 GOP primary, backing the businessman soon after his own presidential run ended in failure.

He was tapped to head the president's transition team but lost that job shortly after Trump's victory in November when the position was turned over to Vice President Mike Pence.

The former governor had said in his final months in office that he intended to pursue a job where he could make money.

His wife, former first lady Mary Pat Christie, retired from her financial job on Wall Street after Christie's presidential run.The fate of 629 migrants on a rescue ship in the Mediterranean was in the balance last night amid fears of mutiny.

Italy and Malta have both refused to let the vessel dock and charity workers said the passengers were becoming 'increasingly anxious and desperate'.

The rescuers had initially shielded the migrants from the knowledge that they were stranded in international waters. But, faced with a barrage of questions, they last night told them why they had been stuck at sea since Saturday night.

Safe at last: Rescuers reach 229 African migrants packed onto two slowly deflating rubber boats in the Mediterranean on Saturday afternoon. The migrants are all handed life jackets and, shortly afterwards, one of the dinghies founders, pitching 40 of those on board into the water

Pictures showed humanitarian workers desperately trying to calm tensions on board the Aquarius as food supplies dwindled.

The situation threatens to spark a fresh EU migration crisis  with Italy vowing to turn away boats carrying migrants from Africa.

Despite international condemnation, Matteo Salvini, who is Italy's new deputy PM and interior minister, said his country's ports would remain closed.

Mr Salvini, who has promised to deport hundreds of thousands of migrants, said: 'Saving lives is a duty, but transforming Italy into an enormous refugee camp isn't.'

Helping hand: As darkness falls, the migrants are brought onto a dinghy in small groups before being transferred onto the humanitarian ship Aquarius, chartered by the Franco-German charity, SOS Mediterranee. Eleven young children were among those rescued

Crammed in: A separate group of migrants is taken aboard the San Giusto, an Italian naval ship, before transfer to the Aquarius. They were later given water, a blanket, clean clothes, a hat and energy bars

Calling for Brussels to resolve the issue, he said: 'Italy has stopped bowing its head and obeying. This time we say no.

'We are contacting the European Commission so that it can fulfil its duties toward Italy that have never been respected.'

Italy's prime minister, Giuseppe Conte, said: 'This is an important turning point. Starting today, Italy is no longer alone.'

The strategy will fuel concerns about what will happen to the thousands of migrants expected to make the perilous journey from African shores to Italy this summer.

The migrants left floating on Aquarius had been picked up during six different rescue operations off Libya's coast in nine chaotic hours on Saturday and Sunday.

The crowded humanitarian vessel, which has a capacity of 550, became a refuge for 629 people  including 123 unaccompanied minors, 11 young children and seven pregnant women.

Some had severe burns caused by the mix of petrol and seawater that often sloshes around the bottom of the rubber boats in which the migrants were packed.

Sleeping quarters: Most of the men spent the night on the deck of Aquarius after up to 30 hours at sea. They came from at least 26 countries, and around a quarter of them were from Sudan

Song of praise: The women slept on the floor below deck and beneath lines of washing. Together they sang an upbeat prayer with the words 'All I have to say is thank you, God'

Aquarius is chartered by the Franco-German charity SOS Mediterranee in partnership with Doctors Without Borders. Yesterday Spanish prime minister Pedro Sanchez said he would give safe harbour to the ship and its passengers.

But Doctors Without Borders warned that the journey to Valencia could take three days, jeopardising the safety of the passengers.

It said in a tweet: 'Spain's offer of safe port of Valencia is 1,300 kilometres away  further three-day journey with Aquarius already well over maximum capacity.

'Health and safety of people rescued on board including sick and injured people, pregnant women and children must come first.'

The Aquarius said it had not received any communications from the authorities in Rome or Madrid. It is stuck 35 miles from Italy and 27 miles from Malta.

Initially, the atmosphere on the ship was described by journalists as calm and even joyful.

Let's dance: A still from a video showing a group of Nigerian women, one bouncing a baby on her knee, keeping up their spirits by dancing and clapping in the dark. There are 123 unaccompanied minors on the Aquarius rescue ship

Reassurance: Charity workers tell the migrants the situation is under control. One man threatened to jump overboard, saying he was scared he would be returned to Libya. Others were said to be desperately worried

Videos were posted showing a group of Nigerian women clapping, dancing and singing in the darkness in a bid to keep spirits high.

Another video showed women  some with young children  waking to early morning prayers that were sung with the words 'All I have to say is thank you, God.'

The women, some of whom were cradling babies, had slept on the floor of the ship in 'unbearably hot' conditions.

The men mostly slept outside on the deck, using lifejackets as makeshift pillows. When the sun rose, passengers strung up blankets to shelter themselves from its blistering rays.

The 123 unaccompanied minors were tagged with yellow wrist bands to help distinguish them from other passengers on the ship.

As soon as the migrants arrived on board, each of them was given water, a blanket, clean clothes, a hat and 2,400 calories in energy bars. The women were sent to a shelter room, those who smelt of petrol to the shower, and those that were sick to a bench to wait for medical care.

On Saturday, Aquarius and its rescue teams had been asked by Italian authorities to pick up 400 migrants who had already been picked up by the Italian navy, the country's coastguard and private cargo ships.

En route, it received a call diverting it to two small boats in distress more than 50 nautical miles off the coast of Libya.

As darkness fell, and crew members battled to carry out a simultaneous rescue, one of the two rubber boats broke, dragging more than 40 people into the water.

David Beversluis of Doctors Without Borders said: 'All the survivors are exhausted and dehydrated because they spent many hours adrift in these boats: there are many survivors with skin burns from the mixture of gasoline and seawater.'

The rescue team recovered 229 survivors who were brought onto the Aquarius. The ship then returned to complete the transfer of the 400 migrants who had been waiting aboard Italian coastguard vessels and the Jolly Vanadio, an Italian merchant ship.Police are investigating accusations a man sexually molested a 14-year-old girl in the bathroom of a cross-Atlantic flight from Los Angeles to London last week.

Sequoia Schmidt, 27, was a passenger aboard the Norwegian Airlines flight 7094 to London on June 7, when she became aware of the alleged incident after the teen's mother began screaming at the man, aged in his 30s, claiming he's raped her daughter.

Based on conversations between the girl's family and flight attendants, Schmidt told Fox News the teen had gone to the bathroom during the ten hour flight, after her parents fell asleep.

The man then followed her into the bathroom, she says.

Police are investigating accusations a man sexually molested a 14-year-old girl in the bathroom of a Norwegian Airlines flight

Her father then awoke to find his daughter missing and went to look for her. That was when he saw the man walk out of the bathroom - and saw the bathroom door immediately close and lock after him.

'That's when the father knew that the girl was in there,' Schmidt said. 'They were locked in the bathroom together for a total of approximately 10 minutes - a 14-year-old girl, and a man in his mid-30s.'

'Everyone on the plane was in shock and the cabin crew were surrounding the woman trying to hold her and her husband back from attacking the man,' Schmidt said. 'I looked over to see the girl huddled in the back of the plane.'

A spokesperson for Norwegian Airlines confirmed that they are 'aware of an incident onboard flight DI7094 and are assisting with authorities' investigation.'

Sequoia Schmidt, 27, was a passenger aboard the flight from LA airport (pictured) to London on June 7, when she became aware of the alleged incident after the teen's mother began screaming at the man, aged in his 30s, claiming he's raped her daughter

They said that they arranged for police to be waiting in London to investigate the allegations.

'We take passenger allegations very seriously and we are fully cooperating with the authorities while this matter is being investigated.'

But Schmidt said the cabin crew had been debating whether to contact the police at all and claimed she overheard them saying the alleged sex act was 'consensual'. At that point she intervened, insisting the authorities were contacted.

Schmidt added that the girl was taken from her parents and seated in another part of the plane.

'Her parents were confused and didn't understand what was going on,' said Schmidt.

The passenger said that the authorities were waiting for them when they landed. And that she was also questioned for an hour by both UK and US officials for disrupting the flight.

She was then informed she'd been banned from Norwegian flights for life.

Gatwick Airport declined to comment and the British Transport Police did not immediately respond to Fox's request for comment.Millicent Fawcett, the leading British suffragist who campaigned for the womens right to vote, has been honoured in the Google Doodle for June 11, 2018.

On what would have been her 171st birthday, Millicent Fawcett has been remembered as one of the most influential women of the past 100 years.

She was marked with a statue in London's Parliament Square earlier this year, becoming the first woman to have a statue erected across from the Houses of Parliament, but who was Millicent Fawcett?

Millicent Fawcett, British suffragist, has been honoured in the Google Doodle for June 11, 2018

Who is Millicent Fawcett?

Born on June 11, 1847, in Aldeburgh in Suffolk, Millicent is primarily known for her work as a womens suffrage campaigner.

The sister of Britains first female doctor Elizabeth Garrett Anderson, who first introduced her to feminist Emily Davies, Millicent had been encouraged to get involved with politics from a young age.

After hearing John Stuart Mills speech on universal womens rights, she became active in his campaign from the age of 19.

With other women, Millicent formed a discussion group called the Kensington Society and after collecting signatures for the first petition for womens suffrage, she became the secretary of the London Society for Womens Suffrage.

She was then introduced to Liberal MP Henry Fawcett, who had at first intended to marry her sister Elizabeth but because she decided to embark on a medical career, Henry and Millicent were wedded on April 23 1867.

Phillipa Fawcett, daughter of suffragist Millicent Fawcett and professor at Cambridge pictured

They had one child, a daughter named Philippa who was born in 1868 and soon after, Millicent joined the London Suffrage Committee, beginning her speaking tours around the UK for the suffragist movement, different to the suffragettes.

After her husbands death and a subsequent hiatus from public life, she forged ahead in her campaign for womens rights and became the leader of the National Union of Womens Suffrage Societies.

Millicent was in this role a year after the first women had been given the vote in the Representation of the People Act 1918.

She also played a significant role in the founding of Newham College, the second Cambridge university college to admit women.

As well as this, Millicent led an all-female troop into the British concentration camps in South Africa during the Boer War.

Before her death in 1929, a year after women were granted the vote on equal terms to men, she was appointed a Dame Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire (GBE).

Processions 2018

Women all over the UK led mass marches to create a living artwork of green, white and violet to commemorate 100 years since the first British women won the vote.

In order to mark women who were over 30 and who owned property being given the vote, 14-18 Now, the First World War art programme and charity Artichoke, processions were held in Belfast, Cardiff, Edinburgh and London.

A group of girls pose for photographs for their mothers next to a statue of Millicent Fawcett

Millicent Fawcett statue

2018 has seen a number of events celebrating the centenary of women winning the vote and earlier this year, Millicent Fawcett was honoured with a statue of the suffragist in Parliament Square.

The bronze casting by Gillian Wearing is the first statue of a woman to be erected in Westminster and features her holding a banner reading courage calls to courage everywhere.

A statue in honour of the first female Suffragette Millicent Fawcett is unveiled in London

After it was unveiled, UK Prime Minister Theresa May said: I would not be standing here today as prime minister, no female MPs would have taken their seats in Parliament, none of us would have had the rights and protections we now enjoy, were it not for one truly great woman - Dame Millicent Garrett Fawcett.

The 11 other statues in Parliament Square are of Nelson Mandela, Abraham Lincoln, Mahatma Gandhi, Jan Smuts, Sir Winston Churchill, Sir Robert Peel, David Lloyd George, Viscount Palmerston, Earl of Derby Edward Stanley, Earl of Beaconsfield Benjamin Disraeli and George Canning.

What is a Google Doodle?

Millicent Fawcett has been honoured in the Google Doodle for June 11, 2018, on what would have been her 171st birthday with illustrations by Pearl Law.

Millicent Fawcett has been honoured by Peark Law on what would have been her 171st birthday

Google Doodles mark important events around the world with creative illustrations on the search engines homepage and is incorporated into the Google logo.

The first Google Doodle marked Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brins visit to the 1998 Burning Man Festival and was a stick-man standing behind the second o in the Google logo.

Today, a team of illustrators, graphic designers, animators and artists work on the Google Doodles and the logos are hyperlinked to a page that provides more information about the cultural event celebrated.

A team of illustrators, graphic designers, animators and artists work on the Google Doodles

Recent Google Doodles have celebrated Virginia Apgar, Tom Longboat and Heinz Sielmann.A city in New Jersey is opening the feeds of hundreds of its security cameras to members of the public in a move that has outraged privacy advocates.

Anyone with an internet connection can access the live video feeds and police are encourage citizens to scour them for suspicious activity.

Officials in the city of Newark hope the surveillance system, known as Citizen Virtual Patrol, will combat terrorism and help stamp out street crime.

More than 1,600 people have signed in to watch since the project began last month, with police promising to develop a smartphone app for the system in future.

Critics say the cameras hand 'would-be stalkers or burglars a powerful tool for tracking their targets'.

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A city in New Jersey is opening the feeds of hundreds of its security cameras to members of the public in a move that has outraged privacy advocates. Anyone with an internet connection can access the live video feeds (stock image)

Sixty-two Citizen Virtual Patrol cameras are already in operation and officials in Newark - New Jersey's largest city - plan to have 300 installed by January.

Newark police department has recieved several calls from citizens monitoring the cameras, but none have led to arrests, a spokesperson told the New York Times.

The cameras are replacing a host of CCTV units lost during 2012's Hurricane Sandy and present a way for police to tackle Newark's reputation for violence and crime.

The city had America's third-highest murder rate in 2012, with about 112 homicides.

Officials said the camera system is a way for citizens to get involved with the city's attempts to clean up its crime rates.

'This is part of building a partnership,' Newark public safety director Anthony Ambrose told the Times.

Anyone with an email address and an internet connection across the globe can sign up to the service, sparking concerns over privacy rights abuses.

'The wild card here is the live stream of all this stuff,' Faiza Patel, the co-director of the Brennan Centre for Justice's Liberty and National Security Program at New York University School of Law, told the Times.

'It's definitely a kind of flash point. Every individual and every community wants to be safe. The question is: How do we get safety?

'When you see measures like this, you have to wonder, whose safety is being protected and whose rights are being violated?'

Officials in the city of Newark are hoping the surveillance system, known as Citizen Virtual Patrol, will combat terrorism and help police stamp out street crime. Critics say the system hands would-be stalkers or burglars a powerful tool for tracking their targets (stock image)

Surveillance centres with access to an extensive system of 30,000 CCTV cameras in Chicago have failed to reduce crime rates in the city, according to recent research.

Studies have found that camera systems are ineffective at reducing crime, though they perform better at solving crimes that have already happened.

Criminologists warned that a camera network overseen by members of the public without any training is likely to throw up false accusations and wasted police time.

Dr Eric Piza, a former Newark police crime analyst and expert at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, said: 'Not only is the program not likely to reduce crime, it has the potential to lead police to respond to situations they should not be responding to.'

Citizens of Newark also expressed concerns over potential privacy rights violations.

HOW DOES NEWARK'S CITIZEN VIRTUAL PATROL LIVE CCTV SYSTEM WORK? The city of Newark in New Jersey has opened the live video feeds of a number of its security cameras to the public. Anyone with an email address and an internet connection can access the feeds via Newark police's website. Once you have signed into the system, called Citizen Virtual Patrol, they can click on any of up to 62 cameras highlighted in blue. The cameras cover lines of store fronts, public housing complexes and rows of family homes. Once you have selected a camera feed you can monitor it for activity and report anything suspicious directly to the police via 911. Officials plan to have 300 of the cameras installed by January and are currently working on a smartphone app. Advertisement

'It's free security,' Newark salon owner Latoya Jackson told the Times. 'But it's not good for me as a civilian person.'

Newark resident Linda Carter told NPR: 'I'm very, very concerned. People are collecting information on us - who are they sharing it with and what is our power in the situation?

'It's like we're taking our power away as citizens, because we don't get to opt out, and everybody else can use it for whatever reason, whether it's good or bad.'

Not all of Newark's citizens are worried about the new system.

54-year-old Fernando Demarzino told the Times his brother was killed during a carjacking in the city in 1995.

'[The cameras are] going to save a lot of lives,' he said.

Newark public safety director Mr Ambrose added: 'It's definitely an aid to the police and detectives. It's just another set of eyes that's helping us.'An unexplained glow in the Milky Way may come from massive swarms of diamonds in space.

At least, that's the conclusion of a new study that attempts to explain the faint stream of microwaves that surround distant stars.

Astronomers have been baffled over what causes this microwave light for decades.

In a new study led by researchers at Cardiff University, an international team has shown that it is likely the microwaves are coming from tiny crystals of carbon.

These carbon crystals, also known as nanodiamonds, can be found inside dust and gas clouds that surrounds newly formed stars.

An unexplained glow in the Milky Way may come from massive swarms of diamonds in space. At least, that's the conclusion of a new study that attempts to explain the faint stream of microwaves that surround distant stars. Pictured is an artist's impression

Known as the anomalous microwave emission (AME), microwave glow first emerged when astronomers took measurements of radiation in space at the turn of the 21st century.

'In a Sherlock Holmes-like method of eliminating all other causes, we can confidently say the best candidate capable of producing this microwave glow is the presence of nanodiamonds around these newly formed stars,' said Dr Jane Greaves of Cardiff University.

The light comes from energy released by rapidly spinning nanoparticles - which are bits of matter so small that they defy detection by ordinary microscopes.

This collection of dust and gas, known as a protoplanetary disk, is where planets begin to form and contains a whole host of organic molecules.

The extremely hot and energised conditions within these disks are ideal for nanodiamonds to form.

'This is the first clear detection of anomalous microwave emission coming from protoplanetary disks,' said David Frayer a coauthor on the paper and astronomer with the Green Bank Observatory.

The nanodiamonds within protoplanetary disks - that are hundreds of thousands of times smaller than a grain of sand - are often found in meteorites on Earth.

For more than 20 years, the mysterious glow in the Milky Way (stock image) baffled astronomers but now they have found the source - tiny diamonds

WHAT ARE NANODIAMONDS? A nanodiamond is defined as a diamond that is less than one micrometre large. Nanodiamonds likely form out of a superheated vapour of carbon atoms in highly energised star-forming regions. They are generally produced by impact events, such as explosions or meteorite impacts. This is not unlike industrial methods of creating nanodiamonds on Earth. In astronomy, nanodiamonds are special in that their structure produces what is known as a 'dipole moment'. This is an arrangement of atoms that allows them to emit electromagnetic radiation when they spin. Because these particles are so small - smaller than normal dust particles in a protoplanetary disk - they are able to spin exceptionally fast. This means they emit radiation in the microwave range rather than in the meter-wavelength range, where galactic and intergalactic radiation would probably drown it out. Researchers led by Cardiff University have now found there are nanodiamonds inside the dust and gas surrounding newly-formed stars. Experts have long known about a faint and mysterious stream of microwaves emanating from star systems. However, they have only just found out these are caused by these tiny diamonds. Advertisement

Researchers, led by astronomer Dr Greaves, monitored 14 young star systems for these mysterious emissions.

They found that three of them emitted the strange glow.

'We knew that some type of particle was responsible for the microwave light, but its precise source has been a puzzle since it was first detected nearly 20 years ago,' said Dr Greaves, from Cardiff University.

The team used the Robert C. Byrd Green Bank Telescope in West Virginia and the Australia Telescope Compact Array to examine three young stars emitting AME light.

By studying the infrared light that was coming from the protoplanetary disks surrounding the stars, the team were able to match this with the unique signature that is naturally given off by nanodiamonds.

The team noted that the unique signal came from hydrogenated nanodiamonds, in which the crystalline carbon structure is surrounded by hydrogen-bearing molecules on its surface.

'This is a cool and unexpected resolution of the puzzle of anomalous microwaves radiation,' Dr Greaves said.

'It's even more interesting that it was obtained by looking at protoplanetary disks, shedding light on the chemical features of early solar systems, including our own.'

The study, Anomalous microwave emission from spinning nanodiamonds around stars, is published in the journal Nature Astronomy.Dogs are proving themselves to be a millennial's best friend after a study found that canines could help save the ailing avocado industry.

A study from Florida International University evaluated scent-discriminating dogs and found that the specially-trained animals can detect a deadly disease early on in avocado trees.

Laurel wilt disease has already killed over 300 million laurel trees in the United States alone, heavily affecting avocado trees.

Scent-discriminating dogs can detect laurel wilt disease early on in avocado trees. Pictured: Cobra, a three-year-old Belgian Malinois, sitting to alert her handler that this particular tree is infected

It has had a devastating effect on the industry in South Florida in past harvest seasons, and two larger avocado industries in Mexico and California are worried that this disease, if it hits their crops, could spread fast enough to destroy their seasons.

Scent-discriminating dogs are most commonly used in law enforcement and forensics to sniff out weapons, bombs and drugs.

They are now being trained to detect the early presence of laurel wilt disease.

Dogs have an exceptional sense of smell and are capable of detecting smells at 1 to 2 parts per trillion.

The researchers performed 229 trials, and only 12 of them were false alerts.

They determined that dogs are capable of high levels of performance, even in harsh weather conditions like high heat and humidity found in Florida climates.

'It is the best 'technology' so far that can detect a diseased tree before external symptoms are visible,' said DeEtta Mills, one of the study's authors.

'The old saying that "dogs are man's best friend" reaches far beyond a personal bond with their handler and trainer.

'It is depicted in their excitement every day as they deploy to the groves. Man's best friend may even help save an industry.'

Laurel wilt disease has killed over 300 million laurel trees in the US alone, devastating Florida's avocado industry

WHAT GIVES DOGS THEIR ULTRA-SENSITIVE SENSE OF SMELL? The slimy surface of a canine nose is behind their sophisticated sense of smell. Damp mucus on a dog's nose 'pre-sorts' smells by blocking the passage of some odour particles more than others, the team reports. Brent Craven, from Pennsylvania State University and team studied MRI images of a dog's nasal passages to see how air travelled through them. They found that different types of molecules were picked up by nerve cells at different points along the airways. Dogs have many more nerve cells in their nasal passages than people and a wider variety of receptors that pick up different chemicals. This allows them to be trained to sniff out certain odours - such as those in USB drives. Advertisement

Laurel wilt disease is caused by the invasive redbay ambrosia beetle.

The insect is originally from Asia, but was inadvertently introduced into the United States in untreated wooden packing material.

Once infected, trees quickly die from the disease.

It usually isn't detectable until external symptoms are visible, and by then it is too late to save the plant and the pathogen can quickly spread to other nearby trees.Google has celebrated what wouldve been the 123rd birthday of French chef Eugenie Brazier with a unique Google Doodle.

She is considered one of Frances finest chefs and is credited with turning the city of Lyon into the countrys culinary capital.

But just who was Eugenie Brazier? Heres all you need to know about who she was and what a Google Doodle is.

Google's new Doodle recently marked what would've been Eugenie Brazier's 123rd birthday

Who was Eugenie Brazier?

Eugenie Brazier was a celebrated French chef notable for being the first woman to earn three Michelin stars back in 1933.

She was born on June 12, 1895 in La Trancliere, France. Following the death of her mother when she was just ten years old, Brazier relocated to a farmstead where she soon learned how to cook in the Bresse regional style. By age 20, she had already gained a positive reputation for her cooking skills at a Brasserie du Dragon in the city of Lyon, also taking on numerous apprentices.

Brazier later started her first restaurant called La Mere Brazier in 1921, which quickly drew critical acclaim that remains to this day.

She later obtained the coveted three-star Michelin rating and became known as the chef of choice for many of the Frances elite, including French military leader and President Charles de Gaulle. Brazier almost single-handedly revolutionized the cuisine of Lyon into becoming known as the finest in France and later a global phenomenon thanks to students like the late Paul Bocuse.

Brazier passed away on March 2, 1977, but not before radically transforming French cuisine and making a name for herself as one of the worlds most notable chefs.

At Bentley's on #iwd2018 we are raising a glass to La Mere Brazier, Eugenie Brazier, the first woman to earn 3 Michelin stars. Famous for many things, including her terrific seafood dish langouste belle aurore; a decadent whole lobster in brandy and cream. pic.twitter.com/KuhTCyWork  Bentley's Oyster Bar (@Bentleys_london) March 8, 2018

What is a Google Doodle?

Google Doodles are temporary changes to Googles homepage logo to commemorate special events, holidays and people.

The first Google Doodle was created back in 1998 to mark the Burning Man festival. Initially designed by Google cofounders Larry Page and Sergey Brin, they were later designed by a group of outside contractors until a special in-house team called Doodlers was established specifically to create Doodles on a regular basis.

Popular holidays such as Christmas and St. Patricks Day are typically marked with Google Doodles. In recent years, theyve also appeared for events such as Pi Day, the Spring Equinox, the Commonwealth Games, St. Georges Day and more.The first person to one day travel to Mars is likely already living on Earth, a chief NASA scientist says.

The revelation comes just days after after 'building blocks of life' were discovered on the planet.

In two separate studies on data collected by the Mars rover over the last few years, scientists identified an abundant source of organic matter in an ancient lakebed, and traced some of the planet's atmospheric methane to its roots.

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The first person to travel to Mars is likely already living on Earth, the chief NASA scientist said to USA Today. The revelation comes just days after after 'building blocks of life' were discovered on the planet

The groundbreaking results will help to guide the search for microbial life and improve our understanding of seasonal processes on Mars.

Humans will 'absolutely' be on Mars in the future, Jim Green told USA TODAY in an interview.

The Curiosity rover extracted and heated samples from Mojave and Confidence Hills in the Gale Crater  both of which are known to contain mudstones dating back roughly three billion years.

This revealed the presence molecules that resembled organic-rich sedimentary rock found on Earth, according to the team, including thiophenes, benzene, toluene, and small carbon chains, such as propane or butene.

While the latest discovery may not mean Curiosity has found evidence of ancient life on Mars just yet, it is a promising step forward ahead of missions that plan to dig even deeper into the Martian soil and a 'good sign' of the planet's ancient habitability, the researchers say.

'Now, we see Mars is an even better location for having past life,' Green said. 'It's just getting better and better.'

Above, the Curiosity Mars rover vehicle can be seen at the site from which it drilled into a rock target called 'Buckskin' on lower Mount Sharp, where it found new evidence preserved in rocks on Mars that suggests the planet could have supported ancient life

Researchers hope to have a human on the planet by 2040, though that is dependent on quite a few factors, according to Green.

For a human to land on Mars, it needs to be possible to land about 10 tons of material on the surface. Right now, NASA has been able to land a one ton vehicle.

NASA also needs to develop the technology to blast off from Mars and return to Earth. The Mars 2020 rover hopefully will achieve this goal.

'Sometime in the next decade, we plan to blast off the surface of Mars and return,' Green said.

The largest obstacle is potentially building an entire infrastructure.

'The people that would go there are real pioneers,' Green said.

Much like in the movie the Martian, humans on Mars would need to be able to farm and establish sources of food.

THE NASA MARS CURIOSITY ROVER LAUNCHED IN 2011 AND HAS IMPROVED OUR UNDERSTANDING OF THE RED PLANET The Mars Curiosity rover was initially launched from Cape Canaveral, an American Air Force station in Florida on November 26, 2011. After embarking on a 350 million mile (560 million km) journey, the 1.8 billion ($2.5 billion) research vehicle touched down only 1.5 miles (2.4 km) away from the earmarked landing spot. After a successful landing on August 6th, 2012, the rover has travelled about 11 miles (18 km). It launched on the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) spacecraft and the rover constituted 23 per cent of the mass of the total mission. With 80 kg (180 lb) of scientific instruments on board, the rover weighs a total of 899 kg (1,982 lb) and is powered by a plutonium fuel source. The rover is 2.9 metres (9.5 ft) long by 2.7 metres (8.9 ft) wide by 2.2 metres (7.2 ft) in height. The Mars curiosity rover was initially intended to be a two-year mission to gather information to help answer if the planet could support life, has liquid water, study the climate and the geology of Mars an has since been active for more than 2,000 days The rover was initially intended to be a two-year mission to gather information to help answer if the planet could support life, has liquid water, study the climate and the geology of Mars. Due to its success, the mission has been extended indefinitely and has now been active for over 2,000 days. The rover has several scientific instruments on board, including the mastcam which consists of two cameras and can take high-resolution images and videos in real colour. So far on the journey of the car-sized robot it has encountered an ancient streambed where liquid water used to flow, not long after it also discovered that billions of years ago, a nearby area known as Yellowknife Bay was part of a lake that could have supported microbial life. Advertisement

'The new findings reinforce our conclusions that there is Marian organic matter in the ancient sediments and they tell us about how the organic molecules are preserved in the rocks,' explained lead author and astrobiologist Dr Jennifer L. Eigenbrode to MailOnline in an email.

'The detection of organic matter in rocks from an ancient habitable environment on Mars bode well for the future search for life on Mars.'

'Organic matter could come from life, but the presence of organics is not evidence for life since organics can also come from non-life processes,' Eigenbrode told MailOnline.

'We found organic matter in rocks exposed at the surface where the environment is very harsh and tends to break down organic matter.

'Finding it in this harsh place means we might find better preserved organic matter in other places, particularly where it has not been exposed to lots of radiation.'Young people's IQ scores have started to deteriorate after climbing steadily since Wold War Two, a new study has found.

The fall, which equates to about seven points per generation, is believed to have begun with those born in 1975, according to the first authoritative study of the phenomenon.

The drop in scores marks the end of a trend  known as the Flynn effect  which has seen average IQs rise for the past 60 to 70 years by roughly three points a decade.

Dunces? Young people's IQs are falling by 7 points per generation in 'pretty worrying' trend

Scientists have described the results as 'impressive' but 'pretty worrying', according to the Times.

The decline is do with a difference in technique in the way languages and maths are taught in schools, scientists have suggested.

However, it could also be down to people spending more time on technological devices instead of reading books.

Stuart Ritchie, a psychologist at the University of Edinburgh who did not take part in the research, told the newspaper: 'This is the most convincing evidence yet of a reversal of the Flynn Effect.

'If you assume their model is correct, the results are impressive, and pretty worrying.'

However IQ scores might have fallen since the turn of the millennium, according to previous studies.

Two British studies suggested that the fall was between 2.5 and 4.3 points every ten years.

But due to limited research, their results were not widely accepted.

In the latest study Ole Rogeburg and Bernt Bratsberg, of the Ragnar Frisch Centre for Economic Research in Oslo, found that Norwegian men's IQs are lower than the scores of their fathers when they were the same age.

The pair analysed the scores from a standard IQ test of over 730,000 men  who reported for national service between 1970 and 2009.

The findings come after scientists revealed in December 2017 that regularly eating fish improves children's intelligence as well as helping them to sleep better

The research has been published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America Journal (PNAS).

The findings come after scientists revealed in December 2017 that regularly eating fish improves children's intelligence as well as helping them to sleep better.

They found that nine to 11-year-olds who eat it at least once a week scored almost 5 points higher in IQ tests to those who 'seldom' do.

In this study by US researchers, more than 500 children were asked about how often they had consumed fish in the past month - with options ranging from 'never' to 'at least once per week'.

They then took part in an IQ test which also considered such as verbal and written communication skills.

After taking into consideration factors such as their parental education, occupation and marital status, it found children who eat fish least once a week score 4.8 points higher than those who never do.

Even those whose meals sometimes include fish scored 3.3 points higher.She is one of two recipients of this year's Lifetime Achievement Award.

But Chita Rivera looked nowhere close to her 85 years when she arrived at Radio City Music Hall for the Tony Awards this Sunday.

The legendary hoofer, who became a Broadway star as Anita in the 1957 original Broadway cast of West Side Story, sheathed herself in a scarlet wrap.

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Radiant: Chita Rivera looked nowhere close to her 85 years when she arrived at Radio City Music Hall for the Tony Awards this Sunday

Her full-sleeved number was wrapped around a floor-length crimson gown that went off-the-shoulder at one end, emphasizing her still toned dancer's figure.

Chita, who was nominated for her first competitive Tony in 1961 and her latest in 2015, caked her face in makeup including a slick of dark lipstick.

She matched her outfit to her red fingernails, shoes and purse, beaming as she posed with her right hand placed at her waist.

Both of her Tony wins - for The Rink in 1984 and Kiss Of The Spider-Woman in 1993 - came to her via her work with the legendary songwriting team Kander and Ebb.

Hello, gorgeous: The legendary hoofer, who became a Broadway star as Anita in the 1957 original Broadway cast of West Side Story, sheathed herself in a scarlet wrap

Fred Ebb and John Kander also wrote the score to Chicago, in which Chita originated the role of Velma Kelly and was nominated for another Tony in 1976.

The dance icon, who has had a hip and a knee replaced and has 16 screws in one of her legs, has 10 competitive Tony nods to her name - the record for a performer.

At Sunday evening's Tony Awards, she will receive the lifetime achievement award alongside Phantom Of The Opera composer Andrew Lloyd Webber.

I'm all smiles, darling, you'd be too: The awards are being hosted by Josh Groban and Sara Bareilles, the latter of whom is nominated for Best Score

Like that other great warhorse of Broadway, Ethel Merman, Chita famously lost out on some of her most plum roles when the shows were sold to the movies.

Anita in West Side Story went to Oscar-winning Rita Moreno, while Rosie in Bye Bye Birdie went to Janet Leigh, who did not add insult to injury with even an Oscar nod.

Inasmuch as the Chicago movie came out in 2002, more than 20 years after the show first opened, Chita was never going to reprise the role of Velma, which wound up in the Oscar-winning hands of Catherine Zeta-Jones.The estranged wife of former Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce has reportedly been in contact with Karl Stefanovic's ex.

Natalie Joyce has maintained a dignified public silence following her husband's affair with his one-time media advisor Vikki Campion and the subsequent birth of their baby in April.

But the mother-of-four has been privately seeking guidance from a woman who has been though a similar high-profile separation, Cassandra Thorburn.

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'They've been leaning on each other': Natalie Joyce (left) 'has sought guidance from Cassandra Thorburn' (right) after their exes Karl Stefanovic and Barnaby moved on with younger women

'These guys have been in contact with each other,' Woman's Day editor Fiona Connolly said on Friday's Woman's Day Uncensored podcast.

'I mean, they've got a lot in common. They've been leaning on each other. I couldn't applaud Cass more for the way she's handled herself.'

Associate editor Phil Koch replied: 'They've been with high-profile men and have had to watch their relationship, their marriage, their life disintegrate in public, which wasn't of either one's choosing.

'I think you might find they have quite a strong bond.'

Estranged: Natalie has maintained a dignified public silence following her husband's affair with his one-time media advisor Vikki Campion and the subsequent birth of their baby in April

Moving on: Cassandra has been praised for her dignified behaviour following her husband's decision to leave their marriage. Pictured: Karl and his new fiancee Jasmine Yarbrough

While Karl and Cassandra's separation shares some similarities to Barnaby and Natalie's, in that they are both high-profile and the men involved moved on with younger girlfriends, it is not being suggested Karl was unfaithful.

Barnaby, 51, has acknowledged he had an affair with Vikki while still married to Natalie, however Karl has made it clear he met Jasmine in December 2016, months after he left his wife.

Daily Mail Australia has contacted Natalie for comment.

Rumour has it! 'These guys [Natalie and Cassandra] have been in contact with each other. I mean, they've got a lot in common,' Woman's Day editor Fiona Connolly said on Friday

During the Woman's Day Uncensored Podcast, Phil also claimed that Natalie was left 'incredibly distressed' after watching Barnaby's Sunday Night interview with Vikki earlier this month, for which they were paid $150,000.

'I know someone who actually watched the show with Natalie. She didn't cope very well with it, it was incredibly distressing,' Phil claimed.

'I know there were phone calls backwards and forwards to her daughters, who are scattered around Australia. This is a family in an incredible amount of distress.'

Natalie has kept a low profile since her husband's affair was revealed and is instead focusing on her job as a special needs teacher.

It initially appeared she had plenty to say about the relationship breakdown, after issuing a withering statement about the affair earlier this year.

Natalie claimed she felt 'deceived and hurt' by the lovechild scandal, adding that 'the situation is devastating on many fronts'.

However, it was later made clear that Natalie would not be doing any interviews.

Shock affair: Natalie said she felt 'deceived and hurt' when news of Barnaby's affair broke, adding that 'the situation is devastating on many fronts'. Pictured together in June 2017

Meanwhile, Cassandra split with Karl, 43, after 21 years of marriage in 2016. The former couple share three children together: Jackson, River and Ava.

Karl met Mara & Mine co-founder Jasmine, 34, at a Sydney boat party in December 2016 and the couple announced their engagement in February 2018.

Cassandra has been widely praised for her dignified behaviour following her husband's decision to leave their marriage.Advertisement

A who's-who of Broadway flocked to Radio City Music Hall on Sunday to watch with bated breath as this year's Tony Awards were handed out in a ceremony hosted by Josh Groban and Sara Bareilles.

Best Musical-winner The Band's Visit thundered through a breathtaking nine-award sweep, including trophies for its score, book, direction, male and female leads and featured male performer.

Andrew Garfield was the first of the evening's broadcast winners, hitting the stage to accept Best Actor in a Leading Role in a Play for playing gay AIDS sufferer Prior Walter in the revival of Angels In America.

The 34-year-old plugged the play as one that 'represents the purest spirit of humanity, and especially that of the LGBTQ community,' and closed pointedly with the political message: 'We are all sacred and we all belong, so let's all just bake a cake for everyone who wants a cake to be baked.'

Victory at Radio City Music Hall: Andrew Garfield was the first of Sunday's Tony Award winners, hitting the stage to accept Best Actor in a Leading Role in a Play for playing gay AIDS sufferer Prior Walter in the revival of Angels In America

Triumphant: Best Musical-winner The Band's Visit thundered through a breathtaking sweep, picking up trophies for its score, book, male and female leads and featured male performer; leads Tony Shalhoub and Katrina Lenk are pictured

His closing statement was a reference to a recent Supreme Court ruling on the side of a baker who refused to make a cake for a gay wedding on account of his religious objections.

Calling playwright Tony Kushner the 'Angel of America that we all wish we could live in,' he showered praise on 'my queen and all our queens' - Marianne Elliott, director of the production, which also won Best Revival of a Play.

Andrew praised the cast as people who 'inspire me ever day,' fulsomely expressing his gratitude toward the crew, producers, 'my own personal tribe, to my mum and and dad,' and to others.

After insisting that 'the most important thing that we remember right now is the sanctity of the human spirit,' he 'dedicated' his trophy 'to countless LGBTQ people who have fought and died to protect that spirit, to protect that message for the right to live and love as we are created to.'

As seen in the play: Andrew, 34, closed with the pointed political message: 'We are all sacred and we all belong, so let's all just bake a cake for everyone who wants a cake to be baked'

Making his view plain: His closing statement was a reference to a recent Supreme Court ruling on the side of a baker who refused to make a cake for a gay wedding because of his religious objections

Creative team: Calling the play's writer Tony Kushner the 'Angel of America that we all wish we could live in,' he showered praise on 'my queen and all our queens' - Marianne Elliott, who directed the production

The glamorous life: Kerry Washington was the first of the evening's presenters, baring her cleavage in a glittering metallic-studded jumpsuit to present the award for Best Actor in a Play to Andrew

Andrew competed in a category including Denzel Washington in a revival of Eugene O'Neill's The Iceman Cometh, Mark Rylance in Farinelli and the King, Tom Hollander in Travesties and Jamie Parker for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Parts One and Two.

Kerry Washington, baring her cleavage in a glittering metallic-studded silver jumpsuit with a train, was the one to present the award for Best Actor in a Play to Andrew.

With a cast including Lee Pace and James McArdle, Angels In America also scored Nathan Lane an award for Best Actor in a Featured Role in a Play.

In this new production - which played London's National Theatre before transferring to New York - Nathan plays Roy Cohn, the notorious lawyer whose clientele included Senator Joseph McCarthy and a young Donald Trump, and who kept his rumored homosexuality secret until his 1986 AIDS-related death shortly after his disbarment.

Three-time victor: On top of contending for Best Revival of a Play, Angels In America scored wins for both Andrew and Nathan Lane as Best Actor in, respectively, a Leading and Featured Role in a Play

'Tony wrote one of the greatest plays of the 20th century': As he accepted his prize, Nathan melted into tears while thanking the 'greatest blessing in my life,' his husband Devlin Elliott

The old gang: This new production of Angels In America, which at 11 nods is the most Tony-nominated non-musical play in history, also won Best Revival of a Play - Tony Kushner (at microphone) was among those who accepted the honor onstage

As he accepted his prize, Nathan melted into tears while thanking the 'greatest blessing in my life,' his husband Devlin Elliott. He showered his affection on the 'magnificent' Andrew and 'adorable genius' Tony, saying of the playwright: 'Even his emails are Pulitzer-worthy.'

Nathan credited his win to the fact 'Tony wrote one of the greatest plays of the 20th century' - one that is 'still speaking to us as powerfully as ever in the midst of such political insanity.'

Before walking offstage with his third Tony Award, Nathan closed out by tearfully noting a roughly eight-year-old decision to push himself more as an actor, saying: 'This performance has been the culmination of a lot of that work,' and calling the prize 'a lovely vote of confidence' in his professional trajectory.

Nathan defeated Michael Cera and Brian Tyree Henry for Lobby Horse, David Morse for the revival of The Iceman Cometh and Anthony Boyle for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.

Broadway's finest: Best Musical was presented by Bernadette Peters, who entered to an instrumental version of the title song from Hello, Dolly! - Bernadette is currently starring in a revival of the show, having replaced Bette Midler

This new production of Angels In America, which at 11 nods is the most Tony-nominated non-musical play in history, also won Best Revival of a Play. Tony Kushner was among the massive group of people affiliated with the show who ascended to the stage to accept the honor.

He encouraged the audience to help 'heal' America by voting in the midterms and wished a happy birthday to the late Judy Garland. 'What kind of a homosexual would I be,' he joked, if he failed to commemorate the occasion?

Best Musical was a competition of adaptations - The Band's Visit, Mean Girls and Frozen, all based on films, and SpongeBob SquarePants, based on a beloved television cartoon.

It was presented by Bernadette Peters, who entered to an instrumental version of the title song from Hello, Dolly!. The choice was apt: Bernadette is currently starring in a revival of the show, having replaced last year's Best Actress in a Musical winner Bette Midler.

Balladeering: The Band's Visit is adapted from a touching 2007 Israeli film about an Egyptian orchestra who alight on a fictional rural town in Israel and develop a warm rapport with the locals

The Band's Visit is adapted from a touching 2007 Israeli film about an Egyptian orchestra who alight on a fictional rural town in Israel and develop a warm rapport with the locals.

When leading man Tony Shalhoub rose to accept his trophy, he got a huge laugh with his opening line: 'All right, listen, it's late and I know you're all tired, so I'm gonna make this as long as I possibly can.'

He was visibly choked up as he paid tribute to his father, who at the age of eight traveled in 1920 from Lebanon to 'Ellis Island, just a few short miles from this very spot.'

Dedicating the prize to 'him and those who - all of those in his family who journeyed before him and with him and after him,' one of the night's multiple Tony-winning Tonies said: 'This extremely generous gesture of yours honors not only their aspirations, their courage, their resourcefulness and their creativity and their selflessness....'

Spirit of the occasion: When leading man Tony Shalhoub rose to accept his trophy, he got a huge laugh with his opening line: 'All right, listen, it's late and I know you're all tired, so I'm gonna make this as long as I possibly can'

Here he paused, evidently overcome with emotion, before finishing up: 'May we, their descendants, never lose sight of what they taught us. Thank you.'

Katrina Lenk, the leading lady of The Band's Visit, dedicated her own award to the 'great Israeli actress, Ronit Elkabetz, who was the original Dina' - the part that Katrina herself played in the musical.

She spared a mention for the totemically popular Egyptian singer Umm Kulthum, 'who showed me Dina's heart. Every moment working on The Band's Visit is a privilege and a thrill and has filled my stupid little heart with so much joy, and this moment ain't so bad either.'

One of Katrina's songs in The Band's Visit is Omar Sharif, a paean to the influence the titular actor and Umm Kulthum had on Dina's childhood in Israel. She performed this number at Sunday night's Tony Awards.

Legacy: Katrina Lenk, the leading lady of The Band's Visit, dedicated her own award to the 'great Israeli actress, Ronit Elkabetz, who was the original Dina' - the part that Katrina herself played in the musical

Ari'el Statchel burst into tears when he accepted Best Featured Actor in a Musical for The Band's Visit, saying: 'Both of my parents are here tonight, and I have avoided so many events with them, because for so many years of my life, I pretended that I am not a Middle Eastern person.'

Sharing: 'After 9/11 it was very difficult for me,' he iterated his regret that he 'missed so many special events with them,' and thanked the 'courageous' creators of The Band's Visit 'for telling a small story about Arabs and Israelis getting along at a time when we need that more than ever!'

He shouted out the 'cast of actors who never believed that they would be able to portray their own races,' and told the audience he had received correspondence from 'kids from all over the Middle East thanking us' and noting how 'transformative our representation is for them.'

'I pretended that I am not a Middle Eastern person': Ari'el Statchel burst into tears when he accepted Best Featured Actor in a Musical, saying: 'Both of my parents are here tonight, and I have avoided so many events with them'

The first-time Tony Award winner concluded his speech, the 'craziest moment of my life,' by assuring onlookers that 'your biggest obstacle may turn into your purpose.'

Josh and Sara began the proceedings onstage sitting opposite each other, playing dueling pianos as they wanly introduced themselves: 'Neither one of us has ever won anything.'

'Lest you forget about 90 percent of us leave empty-handed tonight,' they crooned, belting an original lyric dedicated to 'the loser inside of' the assembled lights of the theater.

'I would like to dedicate this to Joe Mantello': Laurie Metcalf carefully avoided addressing the Roseanne when she won Best Featured Actress in a Play for a revival of Edward Albee's Three Tall Women

Presented by Claire Danes: Also for Three Tall Women, Glenda Jackson, two-time Oscar-winner and former longtime British MP, achieved her first Tony Award win this Sunday as Best Leading Actress in a Play

Josh gamely reminded Sara of famous Broadway shows that lost the Best Musical Tony - Jesus Christ Superstar, Dreamgirls, Hair, Into The Woods, Chicago, Seussical. He even gamely threw in Sara's Waitress.

'Ensembles from every nominated musical tonight' trooped around the orchestra pit, singing along with Josh and Sara as they barreled through the end of the opening number.

Laurie Metcalf carefully avoided addressing the scandal-ridden cancellation of her show Roseanne when she won Best Featured Actress in a Play for a revival of Edward Albee's Three Tall Women.

The sitcom legend gave a studiously anodyne speech thanking 'the Tony voters' and vaunting her fellow nominees, as well as her castmates and their producer Scott Rudin.

Hey, old friend: Billy Joel, who won a Tony Award for the orchestrations of Moving Out in 2003, introduced his friend Bruce Springsteen to the stage to accept the Special Tony Award for his one-man show

Dashing as ever: The Boss, a newcomer to Broadway, turned on his signature charm and said graciously: 'This is deeply appreciated, and thanks for making me feel so welcome on your block'

After saying: 'I would like to dedicate this to Joe Mantello, the director, who figured out what this script was in teh rehearsal room and then taught it to me. Thank you,' she gracefully exited.

Also for Three Tall Women, Glenda Jackson, two-time Oscar-winner and former longtime British MP, achieved her first Tony Award win this Sunday as Best Leading Actress in a Play. Claire Danes presented her with the trophy.

'Thank you very much indeed,' she said in her signature baritone, noting dryly: 'I am one of the oldest people, I think, ever to have stood on this platform receiving this award.'

Quipping that 'Joe Mantello found me a worthy opponent,' she told the audience: 'I would like to thank you, because I was just looking at the list, and there are people in this audience, in this country, in this city from every other country in the world, and you are always welcoming and kind and generous. And America has never needed that more - but then, America is always great.'

Applause break: After shouting: 'F*** Trump!', Robert De Niro - who referred to his show as 'Springsteen on Broadway, or as I like to call it, Jersey Boy' - brought Bruce back onstage to perform

Good old Yamaha: Accompanying himself on the piano, Bruce showed off his still musclebound arms in a black T-shirt and talked the audience through an evocative recollection of his upbringing in Freehold, New Jersey

Like buttah: He transitioned smoothly into a soulful, albeit substantially truncated, rendition of his 1984 song My Hometown, which was featured on his iconic album Born In The U.S.A.

Among the actresses Glenda beat was Amy Schumer, who starred in a comedic play called Meteor Shower that was written specifically for her by none other than Steve Martin.

Their category was also peopled by Condola Rashad (daughter of Phylicia) in a revival of George Bernard Shaw's Saint Joan and Lauren Ridloff for a revival of Mark Medoff's Children of a Lesser God.

Billy Joel, who won a Tony Award for the orchestrations of Moving Out in 2003, introduced his friend Bruce Springsteen to the stage to accept the Special Tony Award for his one-man show.

The Boss, a newcomer to Broadway, turned on his signature charm and said graciously: 'This is deeply appreciated, and thanks for making me feel so welcome on your block.'

'I was told to change my last name': Lindsay Mendez rose to the microphone to giddily accept Best Featured Actress in a Musical for a revival of Carousel, beating out a category that included her castmate, opera diva Renee Fleming

Crowd-pleaser: Lindsay was presented her award by The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt star Tituss Burgess, who delighted the audience by expressing his fury at not being nominated in her category

He rumbled on: 'Being a part of the Broadway community has been a great thrill and an honor for me,' thanking those who had helped him on the extravagantly priced and sold-out show, as well as 'our wonderful audiences, who've made these shows so exciting and fulfilling.'

Bruce, 68, who walked onstage to the classic elongated chant of his name, told his children that 'Daddy loves you,' and closed out: 'Fans, you've been wonderful to me this season.'

After shouting: 'F*** Trump!' to a round of applause, Robert De Niro - who referred to his show as 'Springsteen on Broadway, or as I like to call it, Jersey Boy' - brought Bruce back onstage to perform.

Accompanying himself on the piano, Bruce showed off his still musclebound arms in a black T-shirt and talked the audience through an evocative recollection of his upbringing in Freehold, New Jersey.

Make 'em laugh: Comedy stars stepped out onto the stage to give introductions to the nominated musicals, including Tina Fey, who presented the audience with her own Mean Girls musical

Only the best: The 30 Rock star earned a huge laugh when she vamped: 'All four of tonight's best musical nominees are based on movies, but only one of these movies paid for my boat'

He transitioned smoothly into a soulful, albeit substantially truncated, rendition of his 1984 song My Hometown, which was featured on his iconic album Born In The U.S.A.

This year's Special Tony Awards were conferred on not just Bruce but also John Leguizamo for their respective one-man shows. Whether The Boss would perform Sunday night was kept jealously under wraps until the day of, when he sang and got a standing ovation at the four-hour Tony rehearsal, Billboard reported.

Lindsay Mendez rose to the microphone to giddily accept Best Featured Actress in a Musical for a revival of Carousel, beating out a category that included her castmate, opera diva Renee Fleming.

During her speech, she recalled that when she began her theatrical career in the Big Apple, 'I was told to change my last name from Mendez to Matthews,' before noting 'how proud I am to be part of a community that celebrates diversity and individuality. And to all of you artists out there - just be true to yourself and the world will take note.'

Back on Broadway: Introducing a rollicking revival of My Fair Lady, Amy Schumer extolled the show's push for gender equity and dismissed Henry Higgins as a 'a mansplaining expert on dialect'

Spotlight: Sunday night's proceedings also included a tribute to Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, including a performance of Seasons of Love from Rent by the school's drama department

As she made this point, the camera briefly flashed over to Chita Rivera, who was sitting in the audience and was one of the recipients of this year's Lifetime Tony Award. Chita, a legend of the American theater, won her first Tony in 1961, four years after becoming a Broadway star as Anita in the original Broadway cast of West Side Story.

Lindsay was presented her award by The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt star Tituss Burgess, who delighted the audience by expressing his fury at not being nominated in her category.

Comedy stars stepped out onto the stage to give introductions to the nominated musicals, including Tina Fey, who presented the audience with her own Mean Girls musical.

The 30 Rock star earned a huge laugh when she vamped: 'All four of tonight's best musical nominees are based on movies, but only one of those movies paid for my boat.'

Sweet moment: John Tiffany won Best Director of a Play for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child and led the audience in singing Happy Birthday To You to his boyfriend, who was sitting in the audience

Introducing a rollicking revival of My Fair Lady, Amy Schumer extolled the show's push for gender equity and dismissed Henry Higgins as a 'a mansplaining expert on dialect.'

Sunday night's proceedings also included a tribute to Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, site of a 2018 school shooting that ignited outcry in favor of gun control.

Drama teacher Marjory Herzfeld, who sheltered 65 students in a classroom during the shooting, was presented the Excellence in Theatre Education prize by Mulan voice star Ming-Na Wen.

The children of the Parkland high school's drama department brought the audience tot heir feet when they appeared onstage to sing Seasons Of Love from Rent.

Exultant: Best Revival of a Musical was a category of inexhaustible old favorites including the victorious Once on This Island, whose cast are pictured presenting the show at the Tonys

The Mean Girls musical and SpongeBob SquarePants musical were tied for the most nominations of any production this year, having racked up a formidable total of 12 apiece.

Sara, in addition to helping compere the evening's festivities, was also nominated for Best Score for SpongeBob SquarePants. She was previously up for the same gong for Waitress - but lost, naturally, to Hamilton.

Tina was nominated for Best Book of a Musical for Mean Girls, which she adapted from her 2004 comedy film of the same name starring Lindsay Lohan, Rachel McAdams and herself.

She lost out to The Band's Visit writer Itamar Moses, whose heartwarming speech said that the show's songwriter David Yazbek has 'the sense of humor of a filthy, 100-year-old man.'

The Mean Girls musical was a sort of in-house venture - Tina's husband Jeff Richmond wrote the music, and one of the producers is Lorne Michaels, whose NBC show Saturday Night Live made Tina a star.

Fist-pumping; This year's Special Tony Awards are conferred on John Leguizamo and Bruce Springsteen, each of whom mounted a one-man show on Broadway

Titans: Chita Rivera, who has two Tonys and holds the record 10 nominations for a performer, was garlanded with the Lifetime Achievement Award, as is Andrew Lloyd Webber, who has won six Tonys and recently renounced his peerage

Chita, who has two Tonys and holds the record 10 nominations for a performer, was garlanded with the Lifetime Achievement Award, as was Andrew Lloyd Webber, who has won six Tonys and recently renounced his peerage.

'I wouldn't trade my life in the theater for anything, as the theater IS life,' Chita said in her acceptance. Andrew thanked 'Broadway, not just for this award, but for making a small boy's dream come true.'

These two titans of the American theater walked onstage together - Andrew at one point gently placing an arm around Chita - to present Best Director of a Musical to David Cromer for The Band's Visit.

Fumbling slightly with the envelope as she tried to get it open, Chita said: 'Sorry about that,' quipping that she had assured herself she would 'never do something like this.'

Wilkommen, bienvenue, welcome: A who's-who of Broadway flocked to Radio City Music Hall on Sunday to watch with bated breath as this year's Tony Awards were handed out in a ceremony hosted by Josh Groban and Sara Bareilles

I love a piano: Josh and Sara began the proceedings onstage sitting opposite each other, playing dueling pianos as they wanly introduced themselves: 'Neither one of us has ever won anything'

Best Play saw Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Parts One And Two triumph over the post-apocalyptic The Children, the 18th-century set Farinelli and the King, the 1980s Wall Street drama Junk and John's comedic one-man show Latin History for Morons.

After a couple of producers gave speeches, Jack Thorne, who penned the play from a story he co-wrote with John Tiffany and JK Rowling, stepped bashfully up to the mic just as the play-off music began to play.

In a sweet moment, John Tiffany won Best Director of a Play for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child and led the audience in singing Happy Birthday To You to his boyfriend, who was sitting in the audience.

Best Revival of a Musical was a category of inexhaustible old favorites - 1943's Rodgers and Hammerstein classic Carousel, 1956's Lerner and Loewe smash My Fair Lady and the victorious Once on This Island, which was written by Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty and first opened on Broadway in 1990.

No hard feelings: 'Lest you forget about 90 percent of us leave empty-handed tonight,' they crooned, belting an original lyric dedicated to 'the loser inside of' the assembled lights of the theater

In comes company: 'Ensembles from every nominated musical tonight' trooped around the orchestra pit, singing along with Josh and Sara as they barreled through the end of the opening numberShe revealed she drew inspiration from her own wardrobe for her latest fashion pieces with Very.

And Michelle Keegan has unveiled her trendy Summer collection with the online retailer in a stunning photoshoot in Mykonos, Greece.

The 31-year-old actress - who is married to TV presenter Mark Wright - recently addressed how the pair maintain their long-distance relationship in an interview with OK! Magazine, stating that they 'FaceTime everyday.'

Wow-factor! Michelle Keegan has unveiled her trendy Summer collection with the online retailer in a stunning photoshoot in Mykonos, Greece

The Our Girl star exhibited her incredibly stylish line as she posed up a storm in an array of thigh-grazing numbers.

In one of the radiant shots, the former Coronation Street actress flashed her washboard abs and leggy pins in a pair of black denim shorts and a turquoise leaf print blouse, embellished with cold shoulder details and balloon sleeves.

While blue hues prove to dominate the collection's colour scheme, splashes of yellow and white keep in line with the fresh summery theme.

In another fashion piece, Michelle accentuated her envy-inducing figure in a form-fitting denim dress, decorated with a trendy button-up feature.

Summer chic: The Our Girl star, 31, exhibited her incredibly stylish line as she posed up a storm in an array of thigh-grazing numbers

Looking good: While blue hues prove to dominate the collection's colour scheme, splashes of yellow and white keep in line with the fresh summery theme

Speaking about the collaboration to You magazine, she explained: 'I love the opportunity to design pieces that my friends, family and I would all love to wear.

'As we get ready for holidays and exciting occasions, I have designed a range which has the flexibility to be worn all summer but I've also added that extra special dress for a big event.'

The actress also described how she likes a 'pared-down, feminine look' that her husband 'loves'.

Style maven: The former Coronation Street actress flashed her washboard abs and leggy pins in a pair of black denim shorts and a turquoise leaf print blouse

She added: 'Im all about less is more  fewer accessories, less make-up, fewer bits and pieces.'

As her husband Mark, 31, spends most of his time in LA due to his correspondent role on Extra TV, the Tina and Bobby actress detailed the couple's method of communication when they're apart.

The actress - who spent flitted between England and South Africa while filming Our Girl - told OK! magazine: 'I was sometimes on FaceTime with my mum or Mark and we would just sit and have dinner together.'

Killer curves: In another fashion piece, Michelle accentuated her envy-inducing figure in a form-fitting denim dress, decorated with a trendy button-up feature

Michelle continued: 'It was weird because when we were on set we had no signal. I would speak to him in the morning and when I got in. If he was in bed he would wake up and vice versa.

When asked about how the former TOWIE star is adjusting to life in LA after bagging the impressive presenting role, Michelle described how the TV personality has fallen in love with his new home.

In an interview with Radio 1's Nick Grimshaw, she said: 'Oh yeah he loves it' the actress divulged. 'I think it's the lifestyle, the weather. It's such a nice place and everyone is just really positive out there.'

Refreshing: Speaking about the collaboration to You magazine, the actress also described how she likes a 'pared-down, feminine look' that her husband Mark Wright 'loves'

Busy bees: Michelle recently addressed how she and TV presenter Mark, 31, maintain their long-distance relationship in an interview with OK!, stating that they 'FaceTime everyday'

The brunette beauty also slammed 'negativity' surrounding their marriage, while revealing that the star has been offered another year as a host for his US show.

Speaking about reports of her impending divorce from Mark, Michelle confidently told The Sun: 'Theres so much negativity behind the fact that if I work away and Marks away, it has to be a disaster.'

The soap star added that she was a 'positive person' so she did her best not to 'read into the negativity.'

Candid: When asked about how the former TOWIE star is adjusting to life in LA after bagging the presenting role with Extra, Michelle described how the TV personality has fallen in love with his new home

Overlooking the criticism: The soap star added that she was a 'positive person' so she did her best not to 'read into the negativity'

Meanwhile, Mark 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.

'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.

Fighting back: The brunette beauty also slammed 'negativity' surrounding their marriage, while revealing that the star has been offered another year as a host for his US showPoldark couldnt have been more predictable, or perfect - depending on how you felt about it, and him.

Its return for a fourth series was virtually a Greatest Hits list of all the familiar, popular, ingredients from previous years.

Captain Ross performed the most mundane household duty in typically macho fashion, without his shirt on when required - and often when it wasnt.

Back on TV: Poldark couldnt have been more predictable, or perfect - depending on how you felt about it, and him

Demelza looked more like a supermodel than scullery maid, stunning in her emerald dress that was immaculate even though it seemed to be the only one the poor woman had.

18th century shampoo products were even better than todays. Caroline, Elizabeth, Morwenna, and Doctor Dwight all had lustrous locks that put the cast of Made In Chelseas to shame.

For all his supposedly manly attributes, our hero continued to be humiliated by his weedy, weasel-y, adversary, George Warleggan - likewise Demelzas brothers (Drake and Kayne Carne).

The peasants were still revolting amidst the usual talk about the price of grain, the local Truro election, and scintillating developments in the world of tin mining, shipping, and banking.

Glamorous: Demelza looked more like a supermodel than scullery maid, stunning in her emerald dress that was immaculate even though it seemed to be the only one the poor woman had

Captain Ross and Demelza seemed like the dream couple but continued to have problems - principally the minor detail theyd betrayed each another.

Poldark was still suffering the ignominy of being publicly humiliated by Demelza and her improbable infatuation with Huge Hugh Armitage, the local poet, whom Poldark had unwisely rescued him from a French prisoner of war camp. (Whats the 18th century word for Doh!)

No husband minds his wife being the one that other men desire. But no man wants his wife to be the one that other men possess, he complained to Demelza, a philosophy that didnt really improve her view of him as a chauvinistic, insensitive, dinosaur.

Embarrassed: Poldark was still suffering the ignominy of being publicly humiliated by Demelza and her improbable infatuation with Huge Hugh Armitage, the local poet

Do you think theres room in a womans heart for two men? he asked, feebly.

Or two women in a mans? Demelza countered.

Touche!

Poldark just looked crushed, so feeble he was unrecognisable from the hero who first appeared on our screens in 2015: The swaggering buccaneer who had his own series and had women wrapped around his little finger or swooning in his wake.

He found himself being mugged off by Demelza and Hugh the poet in a way that was worse than anything on Love Island.

Here are 15 quintessential moments showing that, love it or hate him, Poldark was back.

1. Aidan Turner gets his kit off

Series Four had been underway for as long as ten seconds before Aidan Turner appeared with his top off, striding out of the sea like the 1970s version of 007, hairier than Sean Connery or Daniel Craig, and sexier despite wearing Long Johns instead of Speedos.

2. Demelza sings the only song she appears to know

To show she was still smitten (with the poet not Poldark) Demelza crooned Life Is Short (But Love Is Long). If we hear it one more time though it will be re-titled Life Is Short (But This Song Is Long).

3. Demelza acts the innocent about having Sex On The Beach with Hugh (long before cocktails were invented)

I can scarcely account for what happened between Hugh Armitage and I, Demelza frowned to the Poldarks servant Prudie (Dawn French), before perking up suspiciously quickly and insisting: All I know is that a handsome young poet beguiled me and I him. We shared a moment and parted, and thats the end of it.

Acting innocent: I can scarcely account for what happened between Hugh Armitage and I, Demelza frowned to the Poldarks servant Prudie (Dawn French)

Even Prudie wasnt stupid enough to believe that.

4. Hugh demonstrates the torment of the true poet

Lieutenant Armitage held his head, groaning in agony, looking more like a kid trying to get a day off school rather than an heartbroken existentialist who was going blind. Heroically he still managed to compose another tribute to his beloved.

There was a young girl called Demelza...

5. Poldark acts the innocent over kissing Elizabeth

I never told you at the time because I didnt trust myself to find the words, Ross blustered to his Demelza (the obvious explanation - rather than, say, covering up snogging his ex-wife). I loved her once, he admitted with phony generosity. And theres a part of me that will always think of her with affection.

I think we all knew which part of him that was.

6. Elizabeth combs her hair and gets wasted

Elizabeth ignored her son (Ross junior) and, like the original Desperate Housewife, concentrated on getting wasted. She sat in front of her dressing table mirror, combing her Lovely Hair or wandered round knocking back glasses of wine liberally laced with something to numb the horror of her husband George Warleggan.

7. The revolting Reverend Whitworth acts as a comic buffoon  like a 1790s Christopher Biggins rather than misogynist creep with a history of domestic violence

Wife, do you not think the time has come for us to resume our conjugal bliss? Osbourne slathered to Morwenna. Thankfully she did not.

8. Demelza swoons over Hughs latest missive

This poem must suffice to rest next to your heart where I most long to be, Hugh wrote: Lips to my lips unfold/Tale of our love is told/Hallowed by sea and sand/Beauty is in my hand.

Demelza looks confused but, well, horny.

9. The peasants were revolting and Demelzas brothers Drake and Kanye were arrested (again)

The Carne boys dragged their mate Jago Martin away from the riotous scenes on Truro quay after Jago caved a merchants head in (dead). The three amigos were charged with theft, violent affray, and murder  an appalling miscarriage of justice according to Poldark (because they were hungry).

10. Poldark vows to be the hero he was in the first series

You have my word I will do all in my power to see you are fairly dealt with! Poldark promised the accused and the villagers.

What powers that?! carped Jago, not unreasonably given Poldarks own record of being repeatedly stitched up by Warleggan and the local Establishment.

11. Poldark is humiliated by his enemy

Sure enough, George effortlessly foiled Poldarks plan to vouch for the accused, using the ingenious trick of starting the trial early. Ross arrived just in time to see Demelzas kin being sentenced to death.

12. Poldark charges along the cliff top on Champion the Wonder Horse

On the morning of the executions, instead of simply telling Demelza her brothers have been arrested and so facing hanging, Ross headed off to Truro. Im just nipping out to get some milk! he shouted before galloping off on Champion The Wonder Horse  this time in slow motion so we could admire the magnificent brutes flowing mane. Not to mention the horses.

Dramatic: Im just nipping out to get some milk! he shouted before galloping off on Champion The Wonder Horse  this time in slow motion so we could admire the magnificent brutes flowing mane. Not to mention the horses

13. Poldark makes rousing speech like Jeremy Corbyn dressed as Adam Ant

These men have no grievance against authority! Ross rages to the crowd round the gallows and (more importantly) Sir Francis. (Although they certainly did now if they hadnt already when they rioted.) Result? Demelzas brothers (naturally) are pardoned. Jago Martin, being a minor character, was not so lucky and was hanged.

14. Hugh seduces Demelza with more terrible poetry

Tis better if we do not meet, Demelza tried to tell Hugh, unaware her brothers were about to swing (not that way).

Demelza, I think I must tell you...There were three further lines to my poem, Hugh announced, possibly over-estimating the importance of his poetry before reciting: And if this day be all/Proud is my hearts recall/Proud is my funeral pall.

What do they mean? Demelza frowned, predictably, suggesting she really was not what you would call a great poetry lover.

15. Poldark and Demelza remain undecided about whether to forgive each other  or cheat on each other (again)

Captain Ross and Demelza ended the episode in their bedroom, by the fire, whispering for no reason.

How was Hugh? enquired Poldark (his idea of subtlety). Is he still in love with you?

I think so, his wife mused, even though she knew full well the bad lieutenant had spelt out that meaning of his poem was: If I cannot love you again it will be the death of me.

I think perhaps Ive taken you for granted, Poldark acknowledged magnanimously (with the emphasis on perhaps and think). I assumed you knew what to me was obvious: that you are the better part of me.

Anticlimax: She rushed across the room to join him but instead of making up and kissing him passionately, she simply rested her head on his shoulder

Ive been guilty of the same! gasped Demelza, as if this was good news because they had something in common. Oh Ross, how can it be that two people who love so much...

Can understand so little... he finished for her, darkly.

She rushed across the room to join him but instead of making up and kissing him passionately, she simply rested her head on his shoulder.

Is it now too late? he wondered tentatively.

I hope not, she reflected.

On the plus side for Poldark her answer suggested all was not lost.

At the same time, it wasnt exactly No.Married At First Sight's Telv Williams is getting ready to walk down the aisle for a second time, it has been claimed.

The 34-year-old machinery technician reportedly proposed to on-again-off-again girlfriend Maddie Carolan, 27, after only three months of dating.

NW reported on Monday that Telv, who has two children with his former partner, has been telling friends about his secret engagement.

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Second time lucky? Married At First Sight's Telv Williams (left) is reportedly engaged to his on-again-off-again girlfriend Maddie Carolan (right) after a few months of dating

'Telv has confided in a few friends that he and Maddie are engaged,' said the insider.

'He's been really protective of their relationship because he doesn't want any negativity to surround a moment that's supposed to be life changing for him.'

Despite attending events in Melbourne together and keeping up appearances on social media, Telv and Maddie's relationship is understood to be tumultuous.

Something to tell us? NW reported on Monday that Telv, who has two children with his former partner, has been telling friends about his secret engagement to Maddie

Last month, Daily Mail Australia exclusively revealed the pair had split, with a source claiming: 'Apparently things aren't as rosy as Telv and Maddie make it seem.'

At the time, fans observed that Telv and Maddie had unfollowed each other on Instagram and were ignoring questions about their relationship status.

However, just days later, Telv confirmed they had reconciled.

'She's been really vocal': Meanwhile, the FIFO worker is apparently concerned that his TV 'ex-wife' Sarah Roza could dampen the mood if he publicly announces his engagement to Maddie

Meanwhile, the FIFO worker is apparently concerned that his TV 'ex-wife' Sarah Roza could dampen the mood if he publicly announces his engagement to Maddie.

'She's been really vocal about how their relationship tanked, and Telv doesn't want her  or anyone  to ruin their moment,' NW's source claimed.

Daily Mail Australia has contacted Telv, Sarah and Channel Nine for comment.Actress Rachel Brosnahan is grieving following the loss of her aunt Kate Spade last week.

But The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel star was able to put on a brave face to attend the Tony Awards in New York Sunday.

There the Golden Globe winner, 27, dazzled in a pink and red floral frock with puffed sleeves and layers of sequins that sparkled with her every move.

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Distracting herself: Rachel Brosnahan put on a brave face to attend Sunday's Tony Awards in LA just days after the tragic passing of her aunt, fashion designer Kate Space

Rachel almost entirely blended in with the red carpet's lush backdrop of pink, red and purple blooms.

The Milwaukee, Wisconsin native accessorized with art deco earrings and diamond rings complemented by a deep berry manicure.

For beauty, she played up her pout with pink lipstick, while framing her perfect baby blue with strong, straight eyebrows.

Heavy hearts: The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel star and family have been grieving since the discovery of Kate's death Tuesday June 5. Above Rachel and aunt are seen in 2016 together

Garden of Eden: The House Of Cards standout almost entirely blended in with the red carpet's lush backdrop of pink, red and purple blooms

The House Of Cards standout combed her dark locks back into a classic chignon for the finishing touch.

It was clear that the beauty was doing her best to cope through what is an emotional time for her family.

Talking about her aunt 'Katy' in a tribute shared to Instagram Thursday, Rachel said: 'She had a light that words can't capture but touched everyone she came into contact with.'

Glamorous: For beauty, she played up her pout with pink lipstick, while framing her perfect baby blue with strong, straight eyebrows

'She was exceedingly kind, beautifully sensitive, insanely talented, funny as heck and one of the most generous people I have ever known. She was effervescent.'

Spade, 55, was found dead at her Manhattan apartment on Tuesday after hanging herself with a scarf.

The fashion designer is survived by husband Andy and daughter Frances, 13.

Truly missed: Talking about her aunt 'Katy' (asbove in 2002) on Instagram, Rachel said: 'She had a light that words can't capture but touched everyone she came into contact with'She struck up a romance with her longtime friend Dave Bashford in 2017, after two very public relationships with Blake Garvey and Sasha Mielczarek.

And Sam Frost revealed on Monday that she feels 'protective' of the handsome Navy diver because of the inevitable media interest in their lives.

Offering a rare insight into their private world, the 29-year-old Home and Away actress said that she 'treasures' the time she spends with Dave.

'I like having an element of my life that's private': Sam Frost has said she 'treasures' her low-key relationship with boyfriend Dave Bashford... after two very public reality TV romances

Despite not being in showbusiness, Sam said that Dave 'isn't worried' about being in the spotlight.

She told TV Week on Monday: 'Dave is in the Defence Force, so he has more pressing things to worry about. He isn't worried by it.

'I do feel protective, though. I like having an element of my life that's private - it's important to treasure it.'

Sweet: Offering a rare insight into their private world, the 29-year-old Home and Away actress told TV Week on Monday that she 'treasures' the time she spends with Navy diver Dave

Sam went public with Dave last year, later admitting she was 'in love' with him during an interview with The Daily Telegraph in December.

'It's nice for us just to be in our own little love bubble and keep that for us,' she said.

She previously revealed that the pair, who were friends for several years before she rose to fame on The Bachelor in 2014, have an 'effortless' relationship.

'He's got the same sense of humour as me, and it's nice for a change to be me instead of "Bachelorette Sam" or "Radio host Sam". It's the most easy, effortless relationship,' Sam said.

Happiness: Sam previously revealed that the couple, who were friends for several years before she found fame as a contestant on The Bachelor in 2014, have an 'effortless' relationship

The couple began dating after Sam split with Sasha Mielczarek in December 2016 after 18 months of dating.

Meanwhile, her acting career has been going from strength to strength since joining Home and Away last year.

The Melbourne native has been nominated for the Graham Kennedy Award For Most Popular New Talent at the TV Week Logie Awards.She recently kicked off the start of her wedding celebrations with a raucous hen-do.

But Mille Mackintosh looked the picture of serenity as she posed for a tantalizing swimsuit snap at a luxury spa retreat in Austria - and shared the saucy pic to Instagram on Sunday.

The former Made In Chelsea star, 28, sizzled in a glamorous emerald green two-piece, which drew attention to her taut stomach.

Work it: Millie Mackintosh, 28, exhibited her sensational figure in a scanty emerald bikini in a sultry spa snap posted to Instagram on Sunday

Millie - who is set to marry her fellow MIC beau Hugo Taylor, 32, this summer - flaunted her endless pins in the skimpy design, which boasted a flirty ripped feature along the waistline.

Going barefoot inside the extravagant pool, the reality TV star balanced against a white pillar as she gently tousled her glossy tresses over her face.

Millie flashed a coy smile underneath her mane, and appeared to go for minimalist make-up for the sultry snap.

Almost ready: Millie dished on her bridal fitness and nutrition regime and explained that she is sticking to 'circuit training and ballet classes', as she prepares for her forthcoming nuptials

Seeking relaxation and restoration ahead of her wedding, Millie praised the health resort in the caption, and wrote: 'I feel refreshed, restored and rejuvenated. It focuses on digestive health and has really helped improve my energy levels, skin and sleeping patterns.'

Meanwhile, Millie dished on her bridal fitness and nutrition regime and explained to Women's Health Magazine that she is sticking to 'circuit training and ballet classes', as well as eating healthily from Monday to Friday, as she prepares for her forthcoming nuptials.

Speaking about her bridal health plan, Millie said: 'In the week I like to cook as much as I can, time dependent, and prepare in advance so I have a packed lunch with me and that way I can avoid eating processed meals.

Wedding bells: Millie and Hugo became engaged during a romantic trip to Greece in August last year, after one year of romance (pictured together in 2017)

'I wouldn't say I'm following a specific workout programme; I'm mixing up my workouts because I'm really busy, so it's whatever works around my schedule.'

Millie and Hugo became engaged during a romantic trip to Greece in August last year, after one year of romance.

However, the pair have known each other since they were 16 and enjoyed a fiery six-month relationship in 2011, during their time on Made In Chelsea.

Fellow E4 stars Caggie Dunlop and Rosie Fortescue are believed to be bridesmaids at the wedding, alongside her close pal Zara Martin.Model Jennifer Hawkins recently said she rejects the celebrity life.

And true-to-her word, the model posed with her husband Jake Wall as the pair enjoyed a countryside getaway together on Sunday.

Jake shared a tender snap to Instagram, which showed them snuggling outdoors against a mountain backdrop.

Still going strong! Jennifer Hawkins and Jake Wall look loved up during romantic getaway... after celebrating their fifth wedding anniversary

Taking full advantage of the Queen's Birthday long weekend, the pair looked snug as they rugged-up against the cold.

Another snap showed them canoodling indoors by a fireplace.

Appearing to be in the Wolgan Valley in the picturesque Blue Mountains, the pair traded their usual glamorous attire for beanies and jackets.

Country life! Another snap showed them canoodling indoors by a fireplace

It comes one week after they celebrated their fifth wedding anniversary.

Builder Jake honoured his model wife by uploading a loved-up snap to Instagram, which was taken on their 2013 honeymoon.

In the snap, the pair perched on an ornate couch with a stunning backdrop of the ocean, cliff sides and rolling green hills.

He captioned it with the sentimental message: 'Love doing life with you.'

Former Miss Universe Jennifer recently revealed she rejects the 'high life', adding she prefers 'humility.'

'I don't really live that celebrity lifestyle, that celebrity world,' the statuesque blonde told The Daily Telegraph.

'I don't live like I'm hiding from people...Who I am is who I am,' she added.Uzo Aduba shined bright in a canary dress on Sunday at the Tony Awards in New York City.

The 37-year-old actress stood out in a Cristina Ottaviano custom draped crepe halter gown upon arrival at Radio City Music Hall.

The Orange Is The New Black star completed her outfit with open-toed golden collar heels and accessorized with dangling earrings.

TV star: Uzo Aduba shined bright in a custom yellow gown on Sunday at the Tony Awards in New York City

Uzo had her dark hair gathered in two low buns.

The Boston native teamed up backstage with comedienne Amy Schumer, 37, who wore a sleeveless black dress.

Uzo is best known for her role as Suzanne 'Crazy Eyes' Warren on the Netflix series OITNB.

She won an Emmy in 2014 for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series.

Streaming success: The 37-year-old is best known for her role as Suzanne 'Crazy Eyes' Warren on the Netflix series Orange Is The New Black

Uzo also won the Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series in 2015.

She is one of only two performers to win an Emmy Award in both the comedy and drama categories for the same role.

Ed Asner, 88 also won Emmys for comedy and drama for his portrayal of the character Lou Grant.

Critically acclaimed: The Boston native has Emmy Awards in both drama and comedy categories for her portrayal of Crazy Eyes

Uzo also won Screen Actors Guild awards in 2014 and 2015 for her comedy work on the Netflix series.

She made her Broadway debut in in 2007 portraying Toby in an adaptation of Coram Boy at the Imperial Theatre.

Uzo was a presenter during the awards ceremony televised on CBS.

The sixth season of OITNB is scheduled to be released on Netflix on July 27.

Funny women: Amy Schumer caught up nwith Uzo backstage at the 72nd annual awards event

2018 Tony Awards Winners Best Play The Children Farinelli and The King Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Parts One and Two - WINNER Junk Latin History for Morons Best Musical The Band's Visit - WINNER Frozen Mean Girls SpongeBob SquarePants: The Musical Best Revival of a Play Angels in America - WINNER Edward Albee's Three Tall Women Eugene O'Neill's The Iceman Cometh Lobby Hero Travesties Best Revival of a Musical My Fair Lady Once On This Island - WINNER Rodgers & Hammerstein's Carousel Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play Andrew Garfield, Angels in America - WINNER Tom Hollander, Travesties Jamie Parker, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Parts One and Two Mark Rylance, Farinelli and The King Denzel Washington, Eugene O'Neill's The Iceman Cometh Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play Glenda Jackson, Edward Albee's Three Tall Women - WINNER Condola Rashad, Saint Joan Lauren Ridloff, Children of a Lesser God Amy Schumer, Meteor Shower Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical Harry Hadden-Paton, My Fair Lady Joshua Henry, Rodgers & Hammerstein's Carousel Tony Shalhoub, The Band's Visit - WINNER Ethan Slater, SpongeBob SquarePants: The Musical Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical Lauren Ambrose, My Fair Lady Hailey Kilgore, Once On This Island LaChanze, Summer: The Donna Summer Musical Katrina Lenk, The Band's Visit - WINNER Taylor Louderman, Mean Girls Jessie Mueller, Rodgers & Hammerstein's Carousel Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play Anthony Boyle, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Parts One and Two Michael Cera, Lobby Hero Brian Tyree Henry, Lobby Hero Nathan Lane, Angels in America - WINNER David Morse, Eugene O'Neill's The Iceman Cometh Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play Susan Brown, Angels in America Noma Dumezweni, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Parts One and Two Deborah Findlay, The Children Denise Gough, Angels in America Laurie Metcalf, Edward Albee's Three Tall Women - WINNER Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical Norbert Leo Butz, My Fair Lady Alexander Gemignani, Rodgers & Hammerstein's Carousel Grey Henson, Mean Girls Gavin Lee, SpongeBob SquarePants: The Musical Ari'el Stachel, The Band's Visit - WINNER Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical Ariana DeBose, Summer: The Donna Summer Musical Renee Fleming, Rodgers & Hammerstein's Carousel Lindsay Mendez, Rodgers & Hammerstein's Carousel - WINNER Ashley Park, Mean Girls Diana Rigg, My Fair Lady Best Scenic Design of a Play Miriam Buether, Edward Albee's Three Tall Women Jonathan Fensom, Farinelli and The King Christine Jones, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Parts One and Two - WINNER Santo Loquasto, Eugene O'Neill's The Iceman Cometh Ian MacNeil and Edward Pierce, Angels in America Best Scenic Design of a Musical Dane Laffrey, Once On This Island Scott Pask, The Band's Visit Scott Pask, Finn Ross & Adam Young, Mean Girls Michael Yeargan, My Fair Lady David Zinn, SpongeBob SquarePants: The Musical - WINNER Best Costume Design of a Play Jonathan Fensom, Farinelli and The King Nicky Gillibrand, Angels in America Katrina Lindsay, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Parts One and Two - WINNER Ann Roth, Edward Albee's Three Tall Women Ann Roth, Eugene O'Neill's The Iceman Cometh Best Costume Design of a Musical Gregg Barnes, Mean Girls Clint Ramos, Once On This Island Ann Roth, Rodgers & Hammerstein's Carousel David Zinn, SpongeBob SquarePants: The Musical Catherine Zuber, My Fair Lady - WINNER Best Lighting Design of a Play Neil Austin, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Parts One and Two - WINNER Paule Constable, Angels in America Jules Fisher + Peggy Eisenhauer, Eugene O'Neill's The Iceman Cometh Paul Russell, Farinelli and The King Ben Stanton, Junk Best Lighting Design of a Musical Kevin Adams, SpongeBob SquarePants: The Musical Jules Fisher + Peggy Eisenhauer, Once On This Island Donald Holder, My Fair Lady Brian MacDevitt, Rodgers & Hammerstein's Carousel Tyler Micoleau, The Band's Visit - WINNER Best Sound Design of a Play Adam Cork, Travesties Ian Dickinson for Autograph, Angels in America Gareth Fry, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Parts One and Two - WINNER Tom Gibbons, 1984 Dan Moses Schreier, Eugene O'Neill's The Iceman Cometh Best Sound Design of a Musical Kai Harada, The Band's Visit - WINNER Peter Hylenski, Once On This Island Scott Lehrer, Rodgers & Hammerstein's Carousel Brian Ronan, Mean Girls Walter Trarbach and Mike Dobson, SpongeBob SquarePants: The Musical Best Direction of a Play Marianne Elliott, Angels in America Joe Mantello, Edward Albee's Three Tall Women Patrick Marber, Travesties John Tiffany, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Parts One and Two - WINNER George C. Wolfe, Eugene O'Neill's The Iceman Cometh Best Direction of a Musical Michael Arden, Once On This Island David Cromer, The Band's Visit - WINNER Tina Landau, SpongeBob SquarePants: The Musical Casey Nicholaw, Mean Girls Bartlett Sher, My Fair Lady Best Choreography Christopher Gattelli, My Fair Lady Christopher Gattelli, SpongeBob SquarePants: The Musical Steven Hoggett, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Parts One and Two Casey Nicholaw, Mean Girls Justin Peck, Rodgers & Hammerstein's Carousel - WINNER Best Orchestrations John Clancy, Mean Girls Tom Kitt, SpongeBob SquarePants: The Musical Annmarie Milazzo & Michael Starobin, Once On This Island Jamshied Sharifi, The Band's Visit - WINNER Jonathan Tunick, Rodgers & Hammerstein's Carousel Best Book of a Musical The Band's Visit by Itamar Moses - WINNER Frozen by Jennifer Lee Mean Girls by Tina Fey SpongeBob SquarePants: The Musical by Kyle Jarrow Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre Angels in America The Band's Visit - WINNER Frozen Mean Girls SpongeBob SquarePants: The Musical Recipients of Awards and Honors in Non-competitive Categories Special Tony Awards for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre Chita Rivera Andrew Lloyd Webber Special Tony Awards John Leguizamo Bruce Springsteen Regional Theatre Tony Award La MaMa E.T.C. New York City Isabelle Stevenson Tony Award Nick Scandalios Tony Honors for Excellence in the Theatre Sara Krulwich Bessie Nelson Ernest Winzer Cleaners Advertisement

xHe's a rock and roll legend.

But Bruce Springsteen proved his talent went way beyond music on Sunday's Tony Awards, where he was honored with a special award his hit one-man-show Springsteen On Broadway.

New Jersey's favorite son, 68, accepted his award with an emotional speech, telling audiences winning a Tony is 'one of the most exciting things I've ever experienced.'

Truly honored: Bruce Springsteen was honored with a special Tony award for his one-man show Bruce Springsteen On Broadway during Sunday's 72 annual awards show in NYC

'This is deeply appreciated, and thanks for making me feel so welcome on your block,' the Born To Run rocker told the audience of Broadway talents.

Later he took the stage to perform a piece from the blockbuster stage show, captivating the attention of the audiences by telling a story about his youth in Freehold, New Jersey as he played a gentle piano tune.

Bruce looked dapper as can be at the event, where he donned all black formal wear.

Wowing the crowd: Later he took the stage to perform a piece from the blockbuster stage show

Spanning genres: Springsteen's win means he is now part of an exclusive group of Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony winners, or EGOTs for short

Paling around! Fellow American music great Billy Joel introduced Springsteen and welcomed him to the stage, telling the audience it was his 'pleasure to present a special Tony Award to my good friend Bruce Springsteen'

'This is deeply appreciated, and thanks for making me feel so welcome on your block,' the Born To Run rocker told the audience of Broadway talents

Master storyteller: Bruce captivated the audience with a story about his youth in Freehold, New Jersey as he played a gentle piano tune

His beautiful wife of 26-years Patti Scialfa was the perfect contrast, radiating style in a white gown with a sexy thigh slit and chic silver embellishments.

It was a genuine family affair for the Nebraska artist, who brought along kids Evan James Springsteen, Jessica Rae Springsteen and Sam Ryan Springsteen.

Fellow American music great Billy Joel introduced Springsteen and welcomed him to the stage, telling the audience it was his 'pleasure to present a special Tony Award to my good friend Bruce Springsteen.'

Smash hit! Bruce's stage show has been a resounding hit since it first premiered last October, performing 130 shows and raking in $65m as of June 3, according to Playbill

Impressive: Springsteen's performance made it clear why his show has been earning rave reviews and selling out box offices

Dressed to match! Bruce looked dapper as can be at the event, where he was joined by his beautiful wife Patti Scialfa

Family outing: It was a genuine family affair for the Nebraska artist, who brought along kids Evan James Springsteen, Jessica Rae Springsteen and Sam Ryan Springsteen (left to right)

Bruce's stage show has been a resounding hit since it first premiered last October, performing 130 shows and raking in $65m as of June 3, according to Playbill.

Springsteen's win means he is now part of an exclusive group of Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony winners, or EGOTs for short.

Audrey Hepburn, Mel Brooks, Whoopi Goldberg and Mike Nichols are among others who have achieved the quadruple honor.

Special moment: Bruce's adult children Evan, Sam, and Jessica Springsteen were there to support dad during his special honorLisa Oldfield has declared her support for former Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce after his confrontation with a paparazzo at the weekend.

The outspoken 43-year-old backed the embattled politician after he called for tighter restrictions around the individual's right to privacy.

During an appearance on Channel Seven's The Morning Show on Monday, the Real Housewives of Sydney star confirmed she was 'team beetroot' all the way.

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'I'm team beetroot on this one!' Lisa Oldfield has declared her support for Barnaby Joyce over THAT paparazzo incident... as husband David slams the ex-Deputy PM for 'dumping' his wife

Following a heated exchange outside an Armidale church, Barnaby called for a privacy tort, which would make photojournalists liable for civil lawsuits.

Lisa agreed entirely, coming to the defence of Barnaby, his girlfriend Vikki Campion and their baby son Sebastian.

'I think I am team beetroot on this one,' said the mother-of-two.

'When kids are involved, I can see why you start getting protective': The Real Housewives Of Sydney star appeared to defend Barnaby after he had a tense exchange with a photographer

While she acknowledged Barnaby is a public figure, Lisa claimed that there 'needs to be some protection' when it comes to the children of famous parents.

'When kids are involved, I can see why you would start getting protective,' she said. 'There needs to be some protection. They go over the top, some of these paparazzi.'

Lisa's husband David Oldfield was less sympathetic to the plight of Barnaby and Vikki, however, particularly after they accepted $150,000 for a tell-all TV interview.

'I don't know how Barnaby gets up and looks on himself in the mirror in the morning': Lisa's husband David showed little sympathy for Barnaby, however

'I don't know how Barnaby gets up and looks on himself in the mirror in the morning,' David said, scolding the politician for 'dumping' his 'long-suffering wife'.

He argued that Barnaby had 'no right' to demand privacy, saying he should have just 'co-operated' with the photographer then moved on.

'He is in the public eye. The best thing to do with paparazzi is to cooperate and move on. I have had in the past,' he said.

Over the weekend, photographer Guy Finlay accused the politician of threatening to 'clock' him after a tense exchange - a claim Barnaby denies.She's known by her 20 million Instagram for posting loved up shots with boyfriend Sam Asghari, 24.

And Britney Spears was at it again on Sunday, sharing an adorable shot from a romantic dinner with her man.

Taking to the social media, the 36-year-old was seen hugging Sam as they enjoyed a meal at Miami's seafood restaurant Kitchen 305.

Love is in the air! Britney Spears shared a romantic meal with her 'other half' Sam Asghari during their Miami vacation on Sunday

'Having the best time with my other half,' she captioned tagging Sam and adding a heart.

The photograph saw Britney flaunt her rock hard abs in a white cropped t-shirt.

She paired her tiny top with booty shorts of the same color.

Date night! Posting another shot, the beauty flaunted her toned legs in a white dress and heels

Britney's blonde locks were styled into a high pony-tail for the casual dinner and she appeared to be wearing a modest amount of makeup.

Sam looked as though he had just come from the gym.

He flashed his bulging biceps in a singlet top and added a cap backwards.

Family time: Britney has been spending the past few days on the East Coast with her sons Sean, 12 above, and Jayden, 11, as well as Sam

Sharing the same photo on his account, he captioned: '305 with my lady'.

Britney has been spending the past few days on the East Coast with her sons Sean, 12, and Jayden, 11, as well as Sam.

Posting another shot, the beauty flaunted her toned legs in a white dress and heels.

Kids: Britney shares Sean, 12, and Jayden, 11, with ex-husband Kevin Federline

'Look who I found in Miami,' she captioned.

A little more dressed up, Sam sported a shirt and jeans.

Britney's holiday comes amid drama with her ex-husband Kevin Federline and his request for a $40,000 a month increase in child support from his current $20,000.She looked blissfully happy while exchanging vows with Tim Robards among the olive groves and vineyards of the Masseria Potenti hotel in Italy on Thursday.

But Anna Heinrich appeared rather strained as she jetted out of Puglia on Monday, looking tense as she walked through the airport with her new husband.

The newlyweds, who are Australia's first Bachelor couple to get married, looked like they were in need of a relaxing honeymoon following their three-day wedding.

Looking forward to the honeymoon? The Bachelor's Anna Heinrich appeared rather strained as she jetted out of Puglia with Tim Robards and other guests following their glamorous wedding

Criminal lawyer Anna, 31, dressed casually for the flight, pairing frayed denim shorts with a grey halterneck crop top.

She completed the look with comfortable white sneakers and accessorised with a chic wide-brim hat.

Chiropractor Tim, 35, mirrored his wife's relaxed vibe in a blue T-shirt, white shorts and a pair of dark sunglasses.

Downcast: Anna's new husband Tim seemed to be a little distracted as the couple tucked into lunch at an airport cafe

What's going on? While strolling to their gate, Anna pulled several animated facial expressions

The reality TV lovebirds, who met on the first season of The Bachelor in 2013, looked distracted as they ate their lunch at an airport cafe.

And while strolling to their gate, Anna pulled several animated facial expressions.

It was an altogether different scene compared to the couple's wedding on Thursday, which saw Tim and Anna finally say 'I do' after five years of dating.

Congratulations! It was an altogether different scene compared to the couple's wedding on Thursday, which saw Tim and Anna finally say 'I do' after five years of dating

Happily ever after! During the wedding, Anna looked every inch the blushing bride in her couture Steven Khalil gown

During the ceremony, Anna looked every inch the blushing bride in her couture Steven Khalil gown, as her father Les Heinrich walked her down the aisle.

After exchanging vows, Anna and Tim beamed as they walked out together hand-in-hand through pink confetti.

They then welcomed guests with a rustic, floral reception at the Masseria Potenti in the idyllic Puglian countryside, before treating them to a three-course banquet.

Hop in, Tim! The reality TV lovebirds later sped away from the wedding in a retro red Fiat car

Idyllic venue: Tim and Anna welcomed their guests with a rustic, floral reception at the Masseria Potenti hotel (pictured) in the idyllic Puglian countryside

Quite the spread! The attendees feasted on a delicious Italian three-course banquet

The banquet consisted of seafood linguine and meatball orecchiette for entrees, sirloin steak for main and a choice of tiramisu, ice-cream and ricotta tart for dessert.

As festivities continued into the evening, their nearest and dearest cheered on as the newlyweds unveiled their showstopping first dance to Frankie Valli's 1967 hit Can't Take My Eyes Off You.

The outdoor dining area featured rustic wooden tables decorated with white roses and candles.

What a difference a few days makes! Anna looked like she was in need of a relaxing honeymoon following her three-day wedding extravaganza

Pals: Anna was accompanied by her friend and former Bachelor contestant Sarah-Mae Amey

Instead of name cards, the Robards chose to write their guests' names on tambourines suspended over their seats.

The venue was given a touch of Italian charm thanks to stunning displays of cherries, peaches and strawberries spilling out of woven baskets.

Tim, who hails from Sydney's Bondi, proposed to Anna in May last year while on holiday in Kimberley, Western Australia.

He presented her with a diamond ring believed to cost $173,000.

Sweet gesture: Tim, who hails from Sydney's Bondi, proposed to Anna in May last year while on holiday in Kimberley, Western Australia

Reality stars: The lovebirds first met in 2013 during the first season of The Bachelor Australia

Lucky lady! Anna beat out 24 other single women, including new Bachelorette Ali Oetjen, to capture Tim's heart. Pictured together in The Bachelor 2013 finale

They met in 2013 during the first season of The Bachelor Australia. Anna beat out 24 other single ladies, including new Bachelorette Ali Oetjen, to capture Tim's heart.

More than 1.2million people watched the season finale, which saw Tim declare his love for Anna on the clifftop of a Thai resort.

He said: 'I love you. It feels so, so good to finally say it. I want to make you feel special every day. I can't wait to start the next part of our journey together.'

Tim and Anna moved in together in mid-2014, and are now based in Bondi.

Domestic bliss: Tim and Anna moved in together in mid-2014, and are now based in Bondi

Pool party: The day after their wedding, Tim and Anna threw a pool party at their hotel

Sun-kissed: The couple looked tanned after spending several days in the European sunBella Heathcote is set to continue her winning streak in Hollywood as the female lead in the hotly anticipated drama series Strange Angel.

And ahead of the show airing on Thursday, the Fifty Shades Darker actress led the star-studded pack at the series' premiere screening in Los Angeles last Monday.

Bella, 31, looked flawless as she posed against the event's media wall while flaunting her trim pins in a white mini dress.

How heavenly! Bella Heathcote flaunts her lithe limbs in a thigh-grazing white dress

Her frock embellished with cream and gold beads, the star happily posed for the cameras while showing off the dress' intricate detailing.

Leaving the dress to do the talking, Bella paired her look with pointed, strappy metallic kitten heels.

Adding a sweet touch of colour to her otherwise angelic look, Bella carried a bubble gum-hued clutch.

White hot! The Fifty Shades Darker actress led the star-studded pack at the Strange Angel premiere screening in Hollywood

Dare to dazzle! Embellished with cream and gold beads, the dress had intricate detailing

Sweet trimmings! Bella accessorised by carrying a bubble gum-hued clutch

Timeless beauty! Bella pulled her sun-kissed locks back into two French braids, clasped together at the nape of her neck

Bella pulled her sun-kissed locks back into two French braids, clasped together at the nape of her neck.

Keeping her makeup equally stunning, Bella opted for touches of rouge atop her cheekbone and eye area.

Adding depth to her otherwise minimalist look, Bella looked striking as she smiled with a cherry-hued tinge atop her lips.

Iconic duo! The Melbourne-born star was snapped posing alongside her male lead co-star, Irish actor Jack Reynor

Who made the funny? The duo appeared to being enjoying one another's company

At one point, the Melbourne-born star was snapped posing alongside her male lead co-star, Irish actor Jack Reynor.

The duo appeared to being enjoying one another's company as they embraced each other while laughing.

The star was later snapped alongside film director Mark Heyman and co-star Elena Satine.She's the self-proclaimed embarrassing mom-of-three.

And Reese Witherspoon couldn't help but celebrate the graduations of her look-a-like daughter Ava Phillippe, 18, and son Deacon Phillippe, 14, on Sunday.

Taking to Instagram Stories, the 42-year-old shared photos and videos from her celebration at home.

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They've graduated! Reese Witherspoon was a proud mom on Sunday after throwing a graduation party for daughter Ava and son Deacon

The graduation party was for Decon finishing junior high and Ava completing high school.

The siblings were both dressed in caps and gowns and a Boomerang video saw them throwing up their headpieces in the air.

Reese seemed to have held the party at home with the words 'YOU DID IT' on her hedge in balloons.

Mom-of-three: The 42-year-old actress - pictured in April - shares her two eldest children with ex Ryan Phillippe

Proud mom! Reese seemed to have held the party at home with the words 'YOU DID IT' on her hedge in balloons

The proud mom also shared part of the menu with a photo of a beautifully displayed salad of green beans, other vegetables and a dip.

And it appears as though Ava couldn't be more excited to enter the next stage of life.

Taking to the social media over the weekend, the aspiring model shared a photo from her first day of high school.

Delicious! The proud mom also shared part of the menu with a photo of a beautifully displayed salad of green beans, other vegetables and a dip

Her kids are growing up! The graduation party was for Decon finishing junior high and Ava completing high school

'I graduated high school!' she captioned.

'(here's what I looked like at the beginning of it).'

The photo saw Reese's daughter let her natural beauty shine through while sporting bright pink hair.

All grown up! Taking to the social media over the weekend, the aspiring model shared a photo from her first day of high school

At the end of last month, Ava also shared an image of herself on her way to her senior prom.

Al grown up, the beauty stunned in a yellow colored spaghetti strap dress.

The ensemble featured a modest slit up to her knee and she paired it with simple strappy heels.

Genetically blessed! Ava is the eldest child of the Legally Blonde star and Ryan Phillippe, 43

Ava is the eldest child of the Legally Blonde star and Ryan Phillippe, 43.

Reese and her former love met at her 21st birthday in 1997 and wed the following year.

Ava was born in 1999 before the pair welcomed their second child Deacon in 2003.

In 2006, the Hollywood star's went their separate ways and filed for divorce.

Reese is now married to talent agent Jim Toth, 48 - they share son Tennessee James Toth, five.He guested on her 2017 Netflix special Barbra: The Music...The Mem'ries...The Magic!.

And Jamie Foxx interviewed Barbra Streisand onstage in Los Angeles at Netflix FYSEE, where the streaming colossus plugs its content for Emmy consideration.

During the event at Raleigh Studios, Barbra, 76, revealed that Netflix will be releasing six of her old concert specials, ranging in date from 1965 to 2001, Variety reported.

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Hand in hand: Jamie Foxx interviewed Barbra Streisand onstage in Los Angeles at Netflix FYSEE, where the streaming colossus plugs its content for Emmy consideration

The specials will be 1965's My Name Is Barbra, 1966's Color Me Barbra, 1968's A Happening In Central Park, 1973's Barbra Streisand...and Other Musical Instruments, 1994's Barbra Streisand: The Concert and 2001's Barbra Streisand: Timeless.

Netflix will also be dropping an extended version of the 1976 remake of A Star Is Born starring Barbra opposite Kris Kristofferson, with newly released footage.

For Sunday's talk, which occurred the same evening as the Tony Awards, Barbra teamed a chic black wrap with a burgundy top, plus black slacks and heels.

She flashed her signature smile for the cameras from beneath what legendary magazine editor Diana Vreeland once called 'that Nefertiti nose of hers.'

Conflict of interest: For Sunday's talk, which occurred the same evening as the Tony Awards, Barbra teamed a chic black wrap with a burgundy top, plus black slacks and heels

Meanwhile, Jamie - who has one Oscar to her two - wore an immaculate suit with no tie, posing with Barbra and Netflix CCO Ted Sarandos.

He co-starred on her 2016 duets album Encore: Movie Partners Sing Broadway, crooning Climb Ev'ry Mountain from The Sound of Music with her.

On Barbra Streisand...and Other Musical Instruments, she had sung the duet Cryin' Time with Ray Charles, whom Jamie won his Oscar for playing.

My Name Is Barbra, her first TV special, was notable at the time for its lack of guest stars and included a rollicking medley of poverty-themed songs that Barbra synced as she flounced gleefully through Bergdorf's, squirting perfume and stomping on fur.

Top brass: Jamie - who has one Oscar to Barbra's two - wore an immaculate suit with no tie, posing with the musical superstar and Netflix CCO Ted Sarandos

The first special in her contract with CBS, which stretched for a decade until 1975's Funny Girl To Funny Lady, My Name Is Barbra won her an Emmy.

Hot off its heels came Color Me Barbra, which was so called because it was her first special in color - by no means de rigueur for television at the time.

By contrast to the studio-shot My Name Is Barbra and Color Me Barbra, A Happening In Central Park was filmed in 1967 for a live audience of more than 100,000.

Barbra has often spoken of the traumatic experience of forgetting her lyrics in front of the crowd while she was filming this special - an incident so scarring, she says, it ultimately drove her to give up commercial concerts for over a quarter of a century.

Fan service: During the event at Raleigh Studios, Barbra, 76, revealed that Netflix will be releasing six of her old concert specials, ranging in date from 1965 to 2001, Variety reported

She later revealed that her dread arose from the fact she was filming Funny Girl with Omar Sharif, resulting in outrage and attendant safety concerns because he was Egyptian, she was Jewish and this was the year of the Six-Day War.

On The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon in 2014, she recalled that Gamal Abdel Nasser's Egyptian government banned Omar's films 'because he was kissing me.'

'So I was scared. Then, we were supposed to have 300 cops' as security - but because of the New York visit of Soviet politician Alexei Kosygin, 'they took 270 cops away, so we had 30 cops, and it was - you know, it was scary, put it that way.'

It was not until the 1990s that she made her comeback to commercial live shows, by way of the tour that was documented for 1994's Barbra Streisand: The Concert.

Throwback: Jamie had co-starred on her 2016 duets album Encore: Movie Partners Sing Broadway, crooning Climb Ev'ry Mountain from The Sound of Music with her

Like the 1994 special, Barbra Streisand: Timeless was recorded at Las Vegas' MGM Grand - though this time, it was on New Year's Eve as the millennium changed.

Barbra's A Star Is Born was the third version. The first in 1937 had Janet Gaynor in the ingenue role, and the next in 1954 featured Judy Garland's immortal leading turn.

The 1976 version was directed by Frank Pierson, who wrote bitterly in New West magazine about his 'battles' with Barbra and her bombastic hairdresser-turned-co-producer boyfriend Jon Peters during the making of the picture.

Yet the movie did yield the Oscar-winning love song Evergreen, which had a lyric by Paul Williams and music by none other than Barbra herself.

All that sweet affection: He guested on her 2017 Netflix special Barbra: The Music...The Mem'ries...The Magic!, lavishly showering praise on her and singing the selfsame song with her

According to Variety, Netflix' extended version of A Star Is Born will include a previously unreleased scene of Barbra's instrumental rendition of the number.

It will also add footage to her one-shot finale With One More Look At You/Watch Closely Now, sung after the climactic suicide of Kris' character - though exactly what that material is has not yet been revealed.

For a possible hint, eagle-eyed fans could look to a interview Barbra gave English broadcaster Iain Johnstone the year after the movie was released.

'I wanted to take the last number, and I really wanted to cut it, and have all different kinds of strange angles, and you know, look like a Mick Jagger rock 'n' roll concert.'

Barbra, who had final cut on the film, recalled: 'And then the big decision was whether to leave it for seven and a half minutes in one take, or to cut it. That was my last and most difficult decision, and if I ever show you the film in my house, I would show you the cut version. 'Cause I had two versions.'

Said she: 'I thought: "Why can't I release in half the theaters, the cut version, and in half the theaters the one take version?" And then you'd hear - I thought it would be great, because I couldn't make up my mind.'

A Star Is Born is now being remade in a country music milieu by Bradley Cooper, who is both directing it and starring in it opposite Lady Gaga.Schapelle Corby returned to Australia in May last year after serving almost a decade in a Balinese prison for drug smuggling.

And on Monday the convicted drug smuggler appeared worlds away from her dark days in jail as she stepped out with a Louis Vuitton purse in Queensland.

The 40-year-old took to her Instagram story to share a snap of herself and her sister Mercedes sporting designer handbags from the French fashion house.

Nice bag: Convicted drug smuggler Schapelle Corby and sister Mercedes showed off Louis Vuitton handbags and designer shades during ladies lunch

The high-profile siblings were spotted posing alongside the luxury LV bags at the leisurely ladies lunch.

One of the Louis Vuitton bags in the shot appears to be the $3,050 'Tuileries Hobo' shoulder bag.

The expensive bag features a 'coated Monogram canvas with cowhide leather' and other luxurious trimmings, according to the brand's website.

Ladies who lunch: Schapelle gave her legion of followers a closer look at her designer shades

Meanwhile the other creation, which sat next to Mercedes a the chair, appeared to be a more structured version of the iconic handbag.

Earlier on Monday Schapelle gave her legion of followers a closer look at her mirrored designer shades.

Seconds later, Schapelle panned the lens to her sister and in the process gave fans a glimpse at another designer handbag perched on the table - a $1,275 Gucci mini cross-body bag.

More arm candy: Schapelle panned the lens to her sister and in the process gave fans a glimpse at another designer handbag, a $1,275 Gucci mini cross-body bag

The sought-after handbag sat right in front of Mercedes in the short Instagram clip.

Schapelle was deported from Bali, Indonesia last year after serving almost a decade behind bars and three years on parole for drug smuggling.

Schapelle was arrested at Bali's Ngurah Rai airport on October 8, 2004 after customs officers found 4.1kg of marijuana wrapped in plastic inside her boogie board bag.

The Gold Coast local has always maintained her innocence, denying the drugs belonged to her and insisting they were planted without her knowledge.House Rules stars David and Chiara Clarson have opened up about his struggle with ADHD.

Following a series of emotional outbursts on the Channel Seven reality show, the Perth parents have revealed the FIFO worker has battled the condition, also known as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, for years.

'I had a complete mental breakdown,' David told New Idea on Monday.

'I had a complete mental breakdown!' House Rules' David Clarson reveals his battle with a debilitating disorder after a series of emotional outbursts on the reality show

'I have been diagnosed with ADHD and on the last day of renovations in Victoria, I couldn't cope.'

Previously misdiagnosed with depression, the couple admitted David is still struggling to deal with the mental condition.

And combined with competing on House Rules, the stress has pushed him to breaking point.

Struggle: The FIFO worker has battled to live with the condition, also known as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, for years

'I think it's the hardest thing we've had to deal with throughout this competition, Chiara said in the same interview.

She confessed the former NRL player has struggled to get his medication right with doctors suggesting David up his dose to cope with the pressure of the renovation series.

'It's really hard to wake up each day not knowing which mood he's going to be in,' the hairdresser added. 'I don't know how to tackle him.'

Tough battle: Previously misdiagnosed with depression, the couple admitted David is still struggling to deal with the mental condition

David claims competing on the series is a 'once in a lifetime opportunity' and their three children - Seth, eight, Taya, six and three year-old Ellie Mae - serve as his motivation to go on.

Viewer have watched the dad clash with fellow contestants while breaking down in tears with Chiara, who has forced to tell her husband 'to pull himself together.'

Struggling to cope, he came close to quitting in May.

Must go on: Despite his difficulties, David has vowed to go on for the sake of their three children - Seth, eight, Taya, six and three year-old Ellie Mae

'It's hardest thing we've had to deal with!' The hairdresser admitted dealing with David's condition has put a huge pressure on the couple's relationship

And seeing the way he handled the pressure on TV screens, David admitted he's 'not proud' of his behaviour and admitted he didn't realise the competition would be so testing.

Speaking to Confidential last month, he said: '(Watching it back) it's hit me a little bit the way I react to things.

'I'm a bloke out of my element and I'm not proud of the things I've done.She has come under fire again and again for her heavily made-up appearance on the BBC One military drama.

And Michelle Keegan's Our Girl co-star, Ben Aldridge, has defended her 'too glam' and flawless war zone look during an interview on Monday's Lorraine.

The actor, 32, revealed that he thinks the backlash is 'unfair' and that the actress, 31, doesn't even wear make-up on set.

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'Too glam': Michelle Keegan's Our Girl co-star, Ben Aldridge, has defended her 'too glam' and flawless war zone look during an interview on Monday's Lorraine (pictured at the BUILD series)

Talking to presenter, Lorraine Kelly, he said: 'I think it's unfair. No one is criticising the boys for being too good looking.

'Also, there are people that take pride in their appearance that are in the army, we met women that don't look dissimilar to Michelle.

'She doesn't wear make-up on set. Shes literally getting sweat and mud sprayed onto her.'

'Unfair': The actor, 32, revealed that he thinks the backlash is 'unfair' and that the actress (pictured in character), 31, doesn't even wear make-up on set

Leading man: Ben plays Captain James and has starred in Our Girl since its debut on BBC One in 2014

Ben plays Captain James and has starred in Our Girl since its debut on BBC One in 2014.

His character became romantically involved with Molly Dawes, played by EastEnders star Lacey Turner, who only appeared on the first series of the show.

Yet Ben would love to see the actress return and he added: 'We'd love her back.'

First series: His character became romantically involved with Molly Dawes, played by EastEnders star Lacey Turner (pictured in character), who only appeared on the first series

'You can wear make-up in the army': The actor's interview comes after Michelle was forced to hit back at 'sexist' trolls in a cosy chat with The Metro

The actor's interview comes after Michelle was forced to hit back at 'sexist' trolls in a cosy chat with The Metro, as she claimed that women wear make-up in the army.

The actress also pointed out she couldn't wipe off her eyebrows as they are tattooed on when she defended her glamorous looks on the show.

Michelle told the publication: I remember when the building collapsed and I got a lot of grief because my eyebrows were still intact. Yeah, there are! Because they are tattooed! I cant dust them off.

'Flawless war zone look': The actress also pointed out she couldn't wipe off her eyebrows as they are tattooed on when she defended her glamorous looks on the show

Everyone was saying, Oh shes wearing make-up and shes in the Army. You can wear make-up in the Army. And again, its such a sexist thing to point out.

And again people in the Army have got micro-bladed eyebrows. I had girls who are in the Army tweeting me going Ive got my eyebrows micro-bladed.

Glamorous Michelle, who joined the cast in 2016, plays the fierce leader and leading lady Corporal Georgie Lane in Our Girl.

Glamorous as ever: Michelle, who joined the cast in 2016, plays the fierce leader and leading lady Corporal Georgie Lane in Our Girl

The ex soap star proved her dedication to the series when she jetted out to shoot gripping scenes in Nepal, South Africa and Malaysia during her time on the show.

Set in Nigeria, fans of the show will watch emotional Georgie return to the front line after losing her fiance Elvis.

Michelle spent as many as eight months at a time away from the arms of her husband Mark Wright to film with her co-stars.

What a couple: Michelle spent as many as eight months at a time away from the arms of her husband Mark Wright (pictured in London, February 2017) to film with her co-stars

While she has been flying all over the world to film, Mark landed himself the dream gig as a presenter on Extra where he mingles with a galaxy of Hollywood's elite.

Despite previously admitting she finds it hard to be torn away from her love, she confessed she would never consider living with him in Los Angeles full-time.

'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.'She's known for being a fashion icon.

And Paris Hilton certainly looked in her element as she walked the runway at the Dossi Dossi fashion show on Sunday in Antalya, Turkey.

The guest of honour at the show, the 37-year-old socialite ensured all eyes would be on her as she strutted her stuff down the catwalk.

All eyes on her: Paris Hilton certainly looked in her element as she walked the runway at the Dossi Dossi fashion show on Sunday in Antalya, Turkey

Flaunting her incredible figure, Paris wasn't afraid to flash the flesh in her first outfit, teaming a mesh top with a velvet mini skirt.

She drew attention to her cleavage enhancing bra in the ensemble as it was adorned with gems and diamante detailing, visible through her sheer blouse.

Her tanned and toned pins were also on display in the skimpy mini skirt, whilst a pair of heeled black boots aided in boosting her modelesque frame.

The blonde bombshell finished off the look with a small diamante encrusted handbag that she swung alongside her as she sashayed down the runway.

Looking good: The guest of honour at the show, the 37-year-old socialite ensured all eyes would be on her as she strutted her stuff down the catwalk alongside singer Mustafa Sandal

Sheer delight! Flaunting her incredible figure, Paris wasn't afraid to flash the flesh in her first outfit, teaming a mesh top with a velvet mini skirt

Leggy lady! She drew attention to her cleavage enhancing bra in the ensemble as it was adorned with gems and diamante detailing, visible through her sheer blouse

Paris' second look of the show was drastically different but equally as stylish, ensuring she would stand out from the other models.

The former Simple Life star sheathed her slender figure in a scarlet shift dress that nipped in below the bust and featured feather adornment along the sleeve.

Paris teamed the garment with a pair of racy PVC thigh high boots, as well as short gloves and an oversized hat that all boasted the crimson hue.

Chest a glimpse: She drew attention to her cleavage enhancing bra in the ensemble as it was adorned with gems and diamante detailing, visible through her sheer blouse

Stunning: Her tanned and toned pins were also on display in the skimpy mini skirt, whilst a pair of heeled black boots aided in boosting her modelesque frame

Paris has been vocal about her love for Turkey and, apparently, the love and admiration is mutual.

In a statement to the Daily Sabah in Turkey, Hikmet Eraslan, chairman of Dosso Dossi Holding, said: 'We are preparing a show that will be talked about for a long time.

'Paris Hilton has become our first angel.'

Reddy for the spotlight: Paris' second look of the show was drastically different but equally as stylish, ensuring she would stand out from the other models

Glamorous: The former Simple Life star sheathed her slender figure in a scarlet shift dress that nipped in below the bust and featured feather adornment along the sleeve

Lovely ladies: Paris was one of many stunning models to hit the runway for the show

This trip is both for business and pleasure as Paris and her fiance Chris Zylka will head to Ibiza; and from there it's on to Milan, Italy.

The couple has been on jet-set mode of late having recently spent time in St. Barths, where Paris watched her little brother Barron marry socialite Tessa Grafin von Walderdorff.

The next wedding in the family will likely be for Paris and Chris as they are reportedly looking to tie the knot in November with a ceremony in Beverly Hills.

Keeping it casual: Paris opted for a comfortable ensemble as she arrived at Istanbul Airport on Monday morning to fly off to Madrid, SpainShe's not afraid to show off her envy-inducing physique in daring ensembles.

And Victoria's Secret model Devon Windsor used the beach as her catwalk as she flaunted her washboard abs with her beau-of-two-years, Johnny Dex, in Tulum, Mexico, on Sunday.

The couple looked more loved-up than ever as they enjoyed a destination weekend with NET-A-PORTER to celebrate the launch of their new JET-A-PORTER vacation shop.

Gorgeous: Victoria's Secret model Devon Windsor used the beach as her catwalk as she flaunted her washboard abs with her beau-of-two-years, Johnny Dex, in Mexico, on Sunday

Devon, 24, showed off her washboard abs and pert derriere in a tiny multicoloured floral thong bikini.

Adding a touch of glamour, she accessorised the swimwear with a white straw hat and gold jewellery.

Devon looked every inch the beach babe as she left her peroxide blonde locks unstyled in a tousled hairdo.

Smitten: The couple looked more loved-up than ever as they enjoyed a destination weekend with NET-A-PORTER to celebrate the launch of their new JET-A-PORTER vacation shop

Fun in the sun: Devon appeared to be having a fantastic trip as she holidayed with the likes of Alexa Chung and Harley Viera-Newton to celebrate NET-A-PORTER's new shop, JET-A-PORTER

The model showed off her sun-kissed and flawless complexion as she went make-up free to soak up the Mexican sun.

Meanwhile, Devon's boyfriend, Johnny, looked dapper in a pair of white swimming trunks and a gold necklace.

The couple appeared relaxed and loved-up as they walked hand-in-hand along the idyllic beach.

Model behaviour: Posing on the beach at nightfall, another photo saw the blonde beauty wearing a floor-length multicoloured patterned dress

Devon appeared to be having a fantastic trip as she holidayed with the likes of Alexa Chung and Harley Viera-Newton to celebrate NET-A-PORTER's new vacation shop, JET-A-PORTER.

Posing on the beach at nightfall, another photo saw the blonde beauty wearing a floor-length multicoloured patterned dress.

Adding just a slick of make-up, she swept her peroxide blonde locks to the side for a glamorous look.

Wow!: Meanwhile, another outfit saw Devon show off her model frame in a stunning floor-length and long-sleeved coral ruffle dress, which had a plunging neckline

Johnny wore a pair of black trousers as he teamed them with a low-cut silk floral shirt, which he had left partially unbuttoned.

Meanwhile, another outfit saw Devon show off her model frame in a stunning floor-length and long-sleeved coral ruffle dress, which had a plunging neckline.

And in a different sultry snap shared to her Instagram, the model set pulses racing as she posed topless just wearing a flower crown on her head.Leah Costa recently split from her boyfriend Anthony Drew.

But it seems The Bachelor In Paradise star is already moving on, and is ready to break into the property market.

On Monday, the 25-year-old spent time in her rural hometown of Porepunkah, Victoria - a three hour drive from Melbourne - where she inspected an old, run-down church.

That must Costa fortune! On Monday, a newly-single Leah Costa inspected an old church in rural Victoria, hinting she's ready to move on after her split from Anthony Drew

Escape to the country? Melbourne-based Leah could be considering a move back to her hometown after her split with Anthony

'To buy this or not to but this?' Leah asked her Instagram fans beneath a picture of the church shared on Instagram.

The weatherboard building - which was once a house of worship - featured a peaked roof and a cute front porch.

With fresh country air and surrounding greenery, the pastoral property might just be the perfect place to Leah to recuperate after her sudden split from Anthony.

Home sweet home! Leah was spending time in Porepunkah where the fresh country air and surrounding greenery were perfect remedies to help the blonde recover from her split

The pair broke up last month after a brief courtship, where Leah sparked engagement rumours by wearing a diamond sparkler on her finger.

The reality star is struggling after the end of the relationship,recently posting a bizarre and tearful rant on Instagram, which saw her sensationally accuse her ex of using her for 'fame'.

Leah said that she felt personally insulted after Drew described their relationship as 'casual'.

Bombshell allegations: Leah recently posted a bizarre and tearful rant on Instagram, which saw her sensationally accuse her ex-boyfriend Anthony of using her for 'fame'

In response to this, Anthony denied they were ever seriously involved and claimed that it was her desire for public attention that drove them apart.

'We were casually seeing each other and I made it unequivocally clear that I wanted to stay out of the media,' he previously told Daily Mail Australia.

'That must have translated to, 'Pretend I'm engaged and give the public a life lesson about the media' because then the engagement-ring-on-The-Project fiasco happened.'

He added: 'I told her I didn't think we should continue seeing each other. This was followed by her showing up unannounced to my house and workplace on occasions.

'Unfortunately what was a fun, casual thing was ruined by her wanting to keep the headlines rolling.'

Daily Mail Australia has contacted Leah Costa for comment.Robert de Niro wasnt the only actor who slammed President Donald Trump at the Tony Awards 2018.

Harry Potter And The Cursed Childs Noma Dumezweni, who was nominated for a Tony for her role as Hermione Granger, revealed that the US President would not be welcome at the Broadway show, despite the play not being overtly political.

Since the 2016 US election, many similarities have been found between Trump and Lord Voldemort and Noma Dumezweni said that the two-part play based on J.K. Rowlings books resonates today.

Noma Dumezweni attends the 72nd Annual Tony Awards at Radio City Music Hall in New York

Who is Noma Dumezweni?

Noma Dumezweni was born from Swaziland to South African parents.

After living in Botswana, Kenya and Uganda, she arrived in England as a refugee in 1977 and lived in Felixstowe in Suffolk before moving to London with her mother and sister, Mandisa.

Nomas mother Nomanono Isaacs retold her story in her self-published book Escaping Apartheid: A Letter To My Mother, which focused on how her family had been displaced by the white authorities in 1959.

Now a mother of one, Noma is acclaimed for her roles with the Royal Shakespeare Company having appeared in Antony and Cleopatra and Much Ado About Nothing before winning a Laurence Olivier accolade for A Raisin In The Sun.

Noma Dumezweni, who plays Hermione Granger in Harry Potter and The Cursed Child

Dumezwenis other notable roles include A Midsummer Nights Dream, The Winters Tale, Nathan the Wise and Linda, the latter role being vacated by Kim Cattrall days before the productions press night.

At the end of 2015, it was announced that Noma had been cast as Hermione Granger in Harry Potter And The Cursed Child and later, sparked fervent discussion which J.K. Rowling responded to by saying that her books had never specified that the character was white.

Harry Potter And The Cursed Child

The Broadway version of Harry Potter And The Cursed Child was one of the biggest winners of the Tony Awards 2018.

The stage show picked up six awards, including Best Play and prizes for scene design, lighting, costumes and Best Director for John Tiffany.

The two-part play is based on the original Harry Potter books but takes place 19 years after the events of the last book by J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. It follows the adventures of an older Harry Potter and his son, Albus Severus Potter, who will be attending Hogwarts.

It made its official premiere on July 30, 2016 and after being consistently sold out at the Palace Theatre in London, it made its transfer to New York City on April 22, 2018.

British cast members and creative team of Harry Potter And The Cursed Child pictured here

Noma Dumezweni and Trump

Speaking on the Tony Awards 2018 red carpet, Noma Dumezweni was asked if Trump should see the show and she responded with a clear No. Anybody else, yes.

Dumezweni continued: I really do believe thats why its resonating at the moment. We, all as human beings, are fighting to be connected. If youre not seen and not heard, thats where dangerous stuff happens. Thats where people under the radar do very cruel things.

Thats what this play is about. Its about bringing things into the light. Letting your light shine. This is what J.K. has always been about. Let the darkness out into the light. Thats why Im very proud to be here telling this story right now. Those things are very important.

Noma Dumezweni and Lennie James pictured here in a scene from A Raisin In The Sun

Trump and Lord Voldemort similarities

Ahead of the US Election in 2016, many took to social media to comment on how similar the presidential candidate Trump was to the Dark Lord himself and even J.K. Rowling weighed in after Trump advocated a shutdown of Muslims entering the US.

The Harry Potter author said: How horrible. Voldemort was nowhere near as bad, comparing Voldemort calling on his followers to exterminate wizards and witches with non-magical blood, referred to as Muggles in the books.

Many have commented on the similarities between Trump and Harry Potter's Lord Voldemort

Daniel Radcliffe followed up on this in an interview with Sky News and said: I sort of think Donald Trump might not be as ideologically pure as Voldemort. My thing on Trump is that he feels like more of an opportunist - like I dont know how much of this stuff hes saying he actually, really, really believes.

He then said that Rowlings comparison is certainly not without its merits. Alongside this, after Emma Watson posted a note on Instagram urging US citizens to vote, Stephen Colbert also likened the then-Republican candidate to Trump.

Emma Watson wrote a note urging Americans to vote. She didnt spend her childhood fighting a dark lord so we could elect one, Colbert tweeted.

Emma Watson wrote a note urging Americans to vote. She didn't spend her childhood fighting a dark lord so we could elect one.  Stephen Colbert (@StephenAtHome) October 26, 2016

On Colberts show, Trevor Noah also made this connection. I think, in some way, I may be connected to Trump. I think somehow.

Sort of like Harry Potter and Voldemort. I feel like I came out of nowhere, and people were like, Who? And then this thing came out and they were like, It cant happen. And now its happening. I think I may need to die to save America. To save you all.

Noah then went on to describe how politics had become like choosing ice cream flavours. Now, in American elections, you only have two flavors to choose from. So youre choosing the flavors, but then they go: Hey, you have a year to choose your flavors. Youre just going to stand there for a long time.

You go, Do I take the vanilla or do I take the racist ginger? If they say, Choose now, you pick. If they go, Youve got a year, youll go, Ill take my time. Then you go, Vanilla, vanilla, vanilla...racist ginger sounds interesting. It would make life exciting.They exchanged vows in a romantic ceremony on the Italian countryside on Thursday.

But in the days following their classy reception, newlyweds Tim Robards and Anna Heinrich have been living it up at a a wild pool party for their family and friends at the Masseria Potenti hotel.

In a video shared to Instagram on Monday, clearly feeling festive, Tim, 35, shook a bottle of champagne and unloaded it onto bystanders as well as a bikini-clad Anna.

Watch out! Tim Robards and Anna Heinrich have been living it up at a a wild pool party

Woo! In a video shared to Instagram on Monday, clearly feeling festive, Tim, 35, shook a bottle of champagne and unloaded it onto bystanders and a bikini-clad Anna

Wearing the skimpy green swimmers and a hat, Anna tried helplessly to escape her new husband as he aimed the squirting bottle at her midriff and fired away until the last of the frothy spurt trickled to a stop.

The muscled hunk could not be stopped, chasing her around and dousing her ruthlessly in the sticky liquid as she screamed.

The Bachelor couple have been showcasing their gym-honed physiques during a fun-filled day of luxury cocktails, play fighting and endless selfies.

Joining Anna were her glamorous sisters Charlotte and Andrea - who acted as her bridesmaids on her special day - and who also wore matching green swimsuits.

Meanwhile, Tim paraded his impressive six-pack in a pair of perilously small red Speedos as he walked about spurting bubbly wine at friends and family alike.

No chance! Wearing the skimpy green swimmers and a top, Anna tried helplessly to escape her new husband as he aimed the squirting bottle at her midriff

Eyeful: Tim paraded his impressive six-pack in a pair of perilously small red Speedos as he walked about spurting bubbly wine at friends and family alike

Luxury: The couple joined their family and friends at the Masseria Potenti hotel

Feeling jovial indeed, at one point he was seen on the roof of the hotel, posing high above the pool area with his arms raised.

After the day's festivities, a jovial Anna shared a series of Instagram snaps of the 'pool party mayhem'.

The bride seemed to be in great spirits as she was carried by Andrea and Charlotte in one photo, while their father Les cheekily posed in the middle.

Cute! Joining Anna were her glamorous sisters Charlotte and Andrea who also wore matching green swimsuits, and posed with their dad Les

Wild days! After the day's festivities, Anna - who is believed to have taken her husband's last name - shared a series of Instagram snaps of the 'pool party mayhem'

Don't look down! She also clambered on top of Tim's shoulders as the pair wrestled with another couple

The criminal lawyer later clambered on top of Tim's shoulders as the pair wrestled with another couple at the pool party.

As Australia's first Bachelor couple to get married, Tim and Anna pulled out all the stops for their fairytale Italian wedding.

The reality TV lovebirds welcomed their guests with a rustic floral reception, before treating them to a delicious, Italian-inspired three-course banquet.He has made no secret of his utter disdain for Love Island and all of its contestants.

And Piers Morgan once again slammed the popular ITV2 reality show during Monday's installment of Good Morning Britain, branding its stars the 'most stupid people in the world'.

The outspoken TV host, 53, made the remark when referencing a clip of the girls discussing Brexit during Friday night's show, a conversation that saw Hayley Hughes interject: 'What's that? I seriously don't have a clue.'

Ouch! Piers Morgan branded this year's Love Island contestants 'the most stupid people ever' on Monday's installment of Good Morning Britain

Before showing the moment, Piers told viewers: We have had a debate about the mental abilities of those on Love Island.

I think theyre the most stupid people in the world. Susanna thinks theyre moral guardians of the nation and we should all be watching.

Susanna then hit back: 'I think they represent real life and you shouldnt be snobby about whether someone went to university or not.

Case in point: Piers made the remark when referencing a clip of the girls recently discussing Brexit, a conversation that saw Hayley Hughes interject: 'What's that? I don't have a clue.'

Introducing a clip of their Brexit chat, Piers said: Heres why Im snobby, they are even more stupid than I thought they were...'

The short video showed contestant Georgia Steel ask her fellow female Islanders what they thought of Brexit, prompting Hayley to respond: 'What's that? I seriously don't have a clue.'

'It's where we're leaving the European Union,' Georgia explained.

Hitting back: Susanna defended the show and said Piers was being 'snobby' to those who hadn't been to university

'They're even more stupid than I thought they were': Piers isn't impressed with this year's batch of Love Island contestants

Kicking it off: The short video showed contestant Georgia Steel ask her fellow female Islanders what they thought of Brexit, prompting some shocking responses

'So does that mean we won't have any trees?' a worried Hayley then asked.

Kendall Rae-Knight then assured her: 'No, we're just not in the European Union.'

Georgia then quizzed: 'Doesn't it mean it'd be harder to, like, go to, like, Spain and stuff?'

'So it'd be harder to go on holidays?' Hayley retorted. 'Oh, I love my holidays.'The Tony Awards 2018 kicked off with Andrew Garfield picking up the Best Actor in a Leading Role in a Play accolade for playing the gay AIDS sufferer Prior Walter in Angels of America revival, dedicating the his win to the LGBTQ community.

Andrew Garfield, the first of the evenings winners, referenced the Supreme Court ruling on the side of the baker who refused to make a cake for a gay wedding because of his religious objections and went on to shower praise on playwright Tony Kushner.

Tony Kushners seven-hour drama production about life and love during the 1980s also won Best Revival of a Play and Nathan Lane was awarded Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play, in the ceremony hosted by Josh Groban and Sara Bareilles. But what is Andrew Garfields net worth?

Andrew Garfield, winner of the award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role

Who is Andrew Garfield?

Born Andrew Russell Garfield on August 20, 1983 in Los Angeles, California to an English mother and American father, his family moved to the UK when he was three and he was brought up in Epsom, Surrey from a young age.

Despite being interested in business, he was convinced to take Theatre Studies at A Level as the class was one pupil short and after taking acting classes and appearing in youth theatre productions, he garnered attention after appearing in Channel 4 drama Sugar Rush and then Doctor Who.

Andrew Garfield movies

After appearing in Lions for Lambs, Boy A, The Other Boleyn Girl, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus and the Red Riding trilogy, he starred opposite Carey Mulligan and Keira Knightley in Never Let Me Go.

Andrew then co-starred opposite Jesse Eisenberg in The Social Network, a film based on the founders of Facebook, and his performance earned him many nominations, including nods for BAFTA Best Supporting Actor and a Golden Globe nomination for the same award.

Carey Mulligan, Keira Knightley and Andrew Garfield pictured here in Never Let Me Go

Andrew Garfield Spiderman

In 2012, Andrew was cast as Peter Parker in The Amazing Spider-Man and this is where he met Emma Stone. The film earned more than $753 million (563m) and his performance was well received. He then went on to make his Broadway debut as Biff Loman in Death of a Salesman, for which he was nominated for a Tony.

Two years later, he hosted an episode of Saturday Night Live, played a transsexual woman in an Arcade Fire music video and, after a year-long hiatus, starred in Silence and Hacksaw Ridge, for which he won the Oscar for Best Actor.

Angels in America

Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes made a triumphant return to Broadway this year under Marianne-Elliott's directorship after first opening in 1993. Today, the cast is being led by Andrew Garfield and Denise Gough and is set in New York during the AIDS crisis at the height of the Reagan era.

Portraying an AIDS-afflicted young gay man named Prior Walter, Andrew said: It feels like a story as old as time with a group of human beings in a spiritual emergency, fighting for their lives. Toward the end, Prior tells the angels that he cant explain why he wants to keep living - all he knows is that he does.

Theres nothing more universal than that: to face death and then, despite all the suffering and ugliness, choose life - choose the possibility of hope and connection and joy, anyway.

Tony Kushner was first inspired to write the play around 1985, when an old friend named Bill died of AIDS.

Nathan Lane, Andrew Garfield and James McArdle at the press night of Angels In America

After this, Oskar Eustis who had worked with Kushner on his first major play A Bright Room Called Day commissioned him to write another and in development, the play about AIDS, angels and being gay in 1980s New York became about Mormons, democracy and the lawyer, Roy Cohn.

Kushners application for a National Endowment for the Arts grant was then granted and a seven-and-a-half-hour play was created.

Tony Awards

With 11 nods, Angels in America became the most Tony nominated non-musical play in history and Andrew Garfield was the first to pick up an award at the 2018 ceremony, being celebrated for his role as Prior Walter.

After winning the Best Actor in a Leading Role in a Play, Andrew said that Angels in America is a play that represents the purest spirit of humanity, and especially that of the LGBTQ community.

He continued: We are all sacred and we all belong, so lets all just bake a cake for everyone who wants a cake to be baked, referencing the recent Supreme Court ruling.

Andrew also went on to refer to playwright Tony Kushner as the Angel of America that we all wish we could live in and showered praised on my queen and all our queens - Marianne Elliot, director of the production, who also won Best Revival.

Following his messages to the cast, his own personal tribe, to my mum and dad, he said that the most important thing that we remember right now is the sanctity of the human spirit before dedicating his trophy to countless LGBTQ people who have fought and died to protect that spirit, to protect that message for the right to live and love as we are created to.

Andrew Garfield accepts the Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play award

Andrew Garfield net worth

Andrew Garfields net worth has accumulated to approximately $10 million (7.5m), according to Celebrity Net Worth.

Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone

Dubbed as the friendliest exes of all time, Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone sparked reconciliation rumours after they were spotted having a romantic dinner in May 2018, despite the latter being linked to Jennifer Anistons former husband Justin Theroux.

The pair first appeared together in The Amazing Spider-Man in October 2010 with Andrew as Peter Parker and Emma as his love interest, Gwen Stacy.

They grew close and, after Emma split from her boyfriend Kieran Culkin and Andrew from his girlfriend Shannon Woodward, rumours started circulating they were an item.

In July 2011, they were seen together at Comic-Con and months later, fans were struck by their chemistry during an interview. Despite not officially confirming the relationship, they were seen kissing in New York in 2012.

They made their red carpet debut at the 2012 Nickelodeon Kids Choice Awards before heading off on their press tour for The Amazing Spider-Man. Andrew said: We got on really well as people, in between [takes].

That was the fun stuff: In between, wed just mess around, and I felt, Ah, this is different. I wasnt really aware what was happening in the screen test. She keeps you on your toes, and that wakes you up. That was the beginning.

Emma Stone and Andrew Garfield attend the world premiere of The Amazing Spider-Man 2

He then revealed that he spent his 29th birthday getting high at Disneyland with Emma and his friends and the couple grew even closer during the filming of The Amazing Spider-Man 2 before attending the Met Gala together.

Around the time Emma was nominated for Best Supporting Actress at the Oscars, rumours emerged they had split, but in October 2016, Emma said that Andrew is someone I still love very much'.On Monday night MasterChef took it's amateur chefs to South Australia where they met a challenge of futuristic proportions which left viewers aghast.

The contestants were taken to the space-age Cube Restaurant in McLaren Vale and faced with recreating an innovative 'pie' by chef Brendan Wessels.

There were audible gasps from the cooks as the 'lemon meringue pie,' which was partly made on a 3D printer and looked more like a Lego creation, was unveiled.

What is it? The contestants were taken to the space-age Cube Restaurant in McLaren Vale where they were faced with recreating an innovative 'pie' by chef Brendan Wessels

The shocked contestants were told by chef Brendan that the dessert contained: 'Lemon curd parfait balls, and lemon curd gel on the side. Then we have the nitro fennel balls.'

He added: 'And coconut rocher, and then we have a meringue sheet that sits on the top. On the base, with the 3D printer, we have the caramelised white chocolates.'

George Calombaris told the stunned cooks: 'Today you'll be using a 3D food printer. There's no other restaurant in Australia that has one. And only a handful of chefs that have ever used one.'

While it was all very impressive, viewers at home found the elaborate dessert a bit much.

Space age! There were audible gasps from the cooks as the 'lemon meringue pie,' which was partly made on a 3D printer, was unveiled

Far out man! The shocked contestants were told by chef Brendan that the dessert's base was made with a 3D printer and caramelised white chocolates

World's ahead! George Calombaris told the stunned cooks: 'Today you'll be using a 3D food printer. There's no other restaurant in Australia that has one'

George went on: 'And only a handful of chefs that have ever used one'

Progressive? While it was all very impressive, viewers at home found the elaborate dessert a bit much

'3D printed food? We've reached peak w**k' complained one less than impressed Twitter user.

Another Tweeted: 'If that dessert was served to me, my two comments would be: 1. Wheres the rest of it (and) 2. No, sorry, I ordered the lemon meringue pie, not the white chocolate Lego'.

One fan joked: 'Wheres a CWA lady when you need one? Would love to see their opinion if the ridiculousness pile of prevention mislabelled as lemon meringue pie.'

Not amused: '3D printed food? We've reached peak w**k' complained one less than impressed Twitter user

If only! Others were quite amused and frustrated that their printers at home could not shell out delicious pies

Yet one more viewer pointed out: 'Is this the most 2018 dish of 2018?'

Others were quite amused and frustrated that their printers at home could not shell out delicious pies.

One fan joked: 'I'm now looking at my printer wondering why the hell it won't respond and make me a vanilla slice.'She found fame in Love Island, where she spent much of her time in the Spanish villa frolicking in a bikini.

And Chloe Crowhurst returned to her old stomping ground as she hit the beach in the popular European holiday destination.

Clad in a skimpy two-piece, the 21-year-old reality star looked phenomenal as she strolled along the sand.

Beach babe: She found fame in the Spanish villa for Love Island. And Chloe Crowhurst returned to her old stomping ground as she hit the beach in the European holiday destination

Showcasing her ample cleavage, the blonde bombshell donned a tiny pink bikini top with heavily embellished diamante straps.

She teamed the garment with a pair of matching tie side briefs that clung to her pert derriere, with colourful gems adding yet more glamour to the sexy two-piece.

Forever the glamour puss, the blonde bombshell opted for a full face of make-up for her day at the beach, whilst her glossy locks were immaculately styled to frame her flawless features.

Life's a beach: Clad in a skimpy two-piece, the 21-year-old reality star looked phenomenal as she strolled along the sand with her phenomenal figure on display

Chest a glimpse: Showcasing her ample cleavage, the blonde bombshell donned a tiny pink bikini top with heavily embellished diamante straps

Chloe found fame on season three of Love Island, where she failed to love after coupling up initially with the series' eventual winner Kem Cetinay and then Chris Hughes.

The model's journey on the show came to an end at the hand of her fellow Islanders, as she was booted off the series for being in the 'least compatible' couple, as voted by the others.

At the time she was coupled with Sam Gowland - with the pair agreeing their relationship was purely platonic - who later returned to the villa and coupled up with Georgia Harrison.

Peachy keen: She teamed the skimpy top with a pair of matching tie side briefs that clung to her pert derriere, with colourful gems adding yet more glamour to the sexy two-piece

Glamorous: Forever the glamour puss, the blonde bombshell opted for a full face of make-up for her day at the beach

Blonde bombshell: Chloe's glossy locks were immaculately styled to frame her flawless features

During her time on the show, scandal arose as season one Islander turned TOWIE star Jon Clark, claimed she had dumped him to appear on the series.

What followed was a very public war of words between the former couple, with Jon also clashing with Celebrity Big Brother star Calum Best, who he thought had been dating Chloe.

The couple did eventually rekindle their romance, following Jon's split from TOWIE co-star Lauren Pope, though they split again in November.

On the move: Chloe looked phenomenal as she strutted her stuff on the beach in the two-piece

Beach babe: Danielle looked every inch the Bond babe as she strutted her stuff along the shore

On the move: Chloe turned heads as she sauntered along the beach in the tiny two-piece

Claim to fame: Chloe found fame on season three of Love Island, where she failed to love after coupling up initially with the series' eventual winner Kem Cetinay and then Chris Hughes

It came after Chloe accused Jon of cheating on her throughout their relationship, claiming he slept with 15 women in a series of scathing tweets.

Chloe first posted a cryptic tweet to fans that read: 'I love you, he says whilst s******g another bird,' followed by a crying with laughter emoji.

After ten minutes of fans wondering what (or who) she was talking about, the Essex beauty cleared up the speculation by writing: 'Yes. This is about @jbclark_' with a blushing face emoji.

One fan then replied in a now-deleted post, saying: 'You went on Love Island while in a relationship with him you've got some nerve.'They tied the knot in the South of France in a lavish 7million ceremony in the south of France.

And five years on, Tamara Ecclestone woke up to find her husband Jay Rutland had transformed their multi-million pound home in honour of their wedding anniversary on Monday.

The billionaire heiress, 33, who had earlier paid tribute to the 37-year-old on Instagram, was overwhelmed when she walked down the stairs with her four-year-old daughter Sophia to find a life-sized floral number five, hundreds of pink rose petals and pearl unicorn.

Surprise! Tamara Ecclestone woke up to find her husband Jay Rutland had transformed their multi-million pound home in honour of their fifth wedding anniversary on Monday

In the Instagram video, Tamara said: 'Aww its so pretty look fifi,' before describing it as the 'best thing ever'.

Cameraman Jay followed them through the hallway to the living room, where a giant pearl unicorn stood next to the floral garland, which was surrounded by glass jar candles.

Heading into the kitchen, the youngster exclaimed: 'yummy in my tummy,' upon finding different flavoured cupcakes laid on the table in a heart design.

Smitten: The billionaire heiress, 33, who had earlier paid tribute to the 37-year-old on Instagram, was overwhelmed by his generosity

Splashing out: The reality star walked down the stairs with her four-year-old daughter Sophia to find a life-sized floral number five, hundreds of pink rose petals and dozens of balloons

And if those grand gestures weren't enough, Jay littered the house with metallic balloons attaching notes of special memories the pair have shared during their five-year marriage.

Marking the occasion, Tamara posted a black and white picture of her kissing Jay from the wedding day.

She captioned the snap: '5 years ago the beginning of our adventure.'

Impressive: Cameraman Jay followed them through the hallway to the living room, where a giant pearl unicorn stood next to the floral garland, which was surrounded by glass jar candles

Tasty treat: Heading into the kitchen, the youngster exclaimed: 'yummy in my tummy,' upon finding different flavoured cupcakes laid on the table in a heart design

The pair married in June, 2013 after a whirlwind romance and splashed out 7million on her nuptials in the South of France, where they were serenaded by Mariah Carey and Elton John.

Over 150 guests were invited to the lavish three-day event, with the couple famously downed shots and jumping in the sea at the Grand-Hotel du Cap-Ferrat as they laid on a free bar for their partying pals.

Tamara has previously gushed about how her husband spoils her but insisted personalised sentiments impress her more than designer gifts.

She told The Mail On Sunday: 'Jay is brilliant at giving presents, For my birthday he gave me a DVD of pictures of us all, taken since Sophia was born. Personalised gifts mean so much to me.

Tamara's post comes after the doting mum admitted that she is so attached to her daughter that she didn't spent a night away from the tot for the first three years of her life.

True love: The pair married in June, 2013 after a whirlwind romance and splashed out 7million on her nuptials in the South of France, where they were serenaded by Mariah Carey

Speaking on This Morning last month, she said: 'No one can care for your child as well as you can, if I was to leave Fifi I would leave her with my sister, I do have a trust issue, but I like to be there.

'I still breastfeed her in the night, I've talked openly about that, it's a personal decision.

She continued: 'I really don't have a desire to [go away], I go out for dinner with my husband, but I come back to her and I like to make sure she's ready in the morning.'

Meanwhile, Tamara jetted to Dubai with Sophia and husband Jay Rutland earlier this month on their eighth holiday this year.

They enjoyed a magical trip to Disneyland Paris in March, which followed up their envy-inducing getaways to Mexico and the Bahamas. Tamara started the year right by heading to sunny Los Angeles with her daughter Fifi and sister Petra.Mark Wahlberg is slated to star in the new Mel Gibson World War II drama, The Destroyer, it has been reported.

The Courier Mail claimed on Tuesday that the Hollywood heavyweight let slip he's attached to the project, which is set to be filmed in Queensland.

Mel, 62, will direct the 47-year-old in the drama centering on the Battle of Okinawa which took place in 1945.

Heading to Oz: Mark Wahlberg (R) is slated to star in the new Mel Gibson (L) World War II drama, The Destroyer, it has been reported

The film's script has reportedly been penned by Rosalind Ross, who is Mel's partner of four years and mother of his ninth child, one-year-old son, Lars.

The big screen epic could follow in the footsteps of the Gibson-directed war drama Hacksaw Ridge, which won two Academy Awards.

Boogie Nights star Mark and Lethal Weapon leading man Mel are good mates, who worked together on the comedy Daddy's Home 2 in 2017.

The Braveheart actor recently made a mystery trip to Australia which was later revealed to be a location scouting tour.

Slipped out: The Courier Mail claims the Hollywood heavyweight let slip that he's attached to the project, which is set to be filmed in Queensland

Talented partner: The film's script has reportedly been penned by Rosalind Ross, who is Mel's partner of four years and mother of his ninth child, one-year-old son, Lars

Similar success? The big screen epic could follow in the footsteps of the Gibson-directed war drama Hacksaw Ridge, which won two Academy Awards

Mel was seen in Brisbane where he met with Screen Queensland executives, as well as eyeing off filming locations around the Gold Coast and Woongoolba.

Last week, the Passion of the Christ director was pictured dining at his 'favourite' Sydney restaurant.

The Hollywood star cut a relaxed figure in casual clothes while sporting a bushy beard at Mr G's steakhouse, and the restaurant shared snaps to Instagram last week.

In town recently: Last week, the Passion of the Christ director was pictured dining at his 'favourite' Sydney restaurant

In town to scout locations: The Hollywood star was seen at Mr G's steakhouse and also made a location scouting trip to Queensland

At one point, the multiple Academy Award Winner posed for fan photos with fellow diners.

Another snap shared by restauter Evan Hansimikali showed a beaming Mel alongside a young fan.

The actor's ties to Australia include him having moved to Australia at 12-years-old, and having studied at the prestigious National Institute of Dramatic Art.School's out for summer.

And with the freedom of an empty schedule, Kaia Gerber, 16, has happily switched her Malibu home for city life, heading off to New York.

The teen, who juggled high school with a modelling career, was pictured shopping in Soho with a friend on Sunday.

Kaia Gerber is radiant in red as she hits the stores in New York's Soho after runway show

Uber time: The model stepped into her ride after shopping the day away

Her hair pulled back in a ponytail, Kaia had slung a red sweater on, with black jeans and Converse pumps.

In a nod to her West Coast roots, she wore a pair of sunglasses, despite the gloomy day.

In a picture she posted to Instagram that morning, Kaia posed in the New York street, wearing a sweater with mom Cindy Crawford's face emblazoned on it.

Star power: In a picture she posted to Instagram that morning, Kaia posed in the New York street, wearing a sweater with mom Cindy Crawford's face emblazoned on it

Like her iconic catwalk star mother, Kaia is in demand on the runway.

Indeed on Friday she modeled the new Saint Laurent Resort 2019 range at Liberty State Park in Jersey City.

The daughter of Cindy and model turned businessman Rande Gerber was pictured strutting her stuff in a western inspired ensemble.

The brunette beauty recently starred in a campaign for Chanel, and is also partnering up with Swiss luxury watchmaker Omega, following in the footsteps of her mother who first teamed up with the brand 20 years ago.She recently revealed she didn't know the meaning of 'superficial' and asked if Brexit meant 'we won't have any more trees'.

And now Love Island Hayley Hughes, 21, is set leave viewers baffled once again when she reveals that she doesn't know what an earlobe is on Monday's instalment of the hit ITV2 series.

The Liverpudlian, who came under fire from viewers following a discussion between contestants over Britain's EU exit, admits she doesn't know what the body part is during a game of Dares in the Hidden Hills villa.

Baffling: Love Island Hayley Hughes, 21, is set leave viewers baffled once again when she reveals that she doesn't know what an earlobe is on Monday's instalment of the hit ITV2 series

As night falls over the villa, the Islanders play a game of Dares when a stumped Hayley is dared to lick the earlobe of Adam and asks: 'Whats an earlobe?'

The former Miss British Isles has since faced stick after she stunned watchers on Friday night with her ignorance over not knowing what Brexit was, and brazenly said: 'Whats that? I seriously dont have a clue what it is.'

Student Georgia Steel, 20, kicked off the conversation by quizzing the group about their views on Brexit which left the model admitting she had no idea what it was.

York native Georgia explained it meant the UK 'leaving the European Union', but Hayley still looked baffled by the idea.

Awkward: The Liverpudlian, who came under fire from viewers following a discussion between contestants over Britain's EU exit, admits she doesn't know what the body part is during a game of Dares in the Hidden Hills villa

Confused: The former Miss British Isles has since faced stick after she stunned watchers on Friday night with her ignorance over not knowing what Brexit was, and brazenly said: 'Whats that? I seriously dont have a clue what it is.'

In the hilarious segment, Hayley then asked if Britain leaving the European Union would result in the loss of trees.

'It would mean welfare, and things we trade with would be cut down,' Georgia explained. Still seemingly confused by the entire topic, Hayley awkwardly asked: 'So that does that mean we won't have any trees?'

There was a bit of hilarious confusion when West End performer Samira Mighty, 22, misheard Hayley and thought she said 'cheese' rather than 'trees'.

Georgia then suggested: 'Doesn't it mean it would be harder to go to Spain and stuff?' The concerned bombshell replied: 'So it would be harder to go on holidays?'

Baffling: Student Georgia Steel, 20, kicked off the conversation by quizzing the group about their views on Brexit which left the model admitting she had no idea what it was. York native Georgia explained it meant the UK 'leaving the European Union', but Hayley still looked baffled by the idea

Misheard: West End performer Samira Mighty, 22, mistook Ms Hughes 'trees' comment for 'cheese'

The group told her 'yes I think so', before a deflated Hayley said: 'Oh I love my holidays.'

Hayley's comments have caused a whirlwind online and amongst broadcasters with Loose Women panelist Kelly Brook, 38, claiming that the blonde bombshell was putting on an act.

Speaking on Monday's show, she said: '[The contestants] know what gets headlines. They know what gets airtime. So I think they know that the more stupid they are, the more headlines they get.

Misinformed: Hayley admitted fears Brexit meant chopping down our trees and stopping our holidays

'I just think, they probably don't know what Brexit is but they play up on it and I think they say things that are inflammatory.'

And Kelly wasn't the only one to accuse Hayley of playing a game as viewers took to social media to blast her for her actions.

One fan wrote: 'Hayley has to be pretending to be that thick...that cant be real surely.

Opinion: Hayley's comments have caused a whirlwind online and amongst broadcasters with Loose Women panelist Kelly Brook, 38, claiming that the blonde bombshell was putting on an act

'Headlines': Speaking on Monday's show, she said: '[The contestants] know what gets headlines. They know what gets airtime. So I think they know that the more stupid they are, the more headlines they get'

Claims: And Kelly wasn't the only one to accuse Hayley of playing a game as viewers took to social media to blast her for her actions

'Not sure it Hayley is that dumb or putting it on to appear cute,' another shared. 'The dumb act Hayley keeps putting on is annoying.

While a viewer shared: 'AND feel like Hayley is putting on an act of being that dumb it's not cute.'

'Someone tell Hayley that its not cute to be dumb... I feel like shes putting it on now,' one commented.

'Hayley must be putting this dumb thing on,' one viewer vented. 'Surely this Hayley is putting on this dumb act?'

Ouch! Piers Morgan branded this year's Love Island contestants 'the most stupid people ever' on Monday's Good Morning Britain

Earlier on in the day, Good Morning Britain presenter Piers Morgan branded the Love Island contestants 'the most stupid people in the world' after referencing a clip of the girls discussing Brexit during Friday night's show.

Before showing the moment, Piers told viewers: We have had a debate about the mental abilities of those on Love Island.

'I think theyre the most stupid people in the world. Susanna thinks theyre moral guardians of the nation and we should all be watching.

Susanna then hit back: 'I think they represent real life and you shouldnt be snobby about whether someone went to university or not.Reese Witherspoon and her husband Jim Toth, 48, were caught stepping out for lunch in Beverly Hills, California Sunday.

The 42-year-old actress wore a multicolored patterned sundress and rope wrapped wedge sandals.

This comes after the family celebrated her two kids having separate graduations. Her son Deacon, 14, finishing junior high school while Ava, 18, completed high school.

Day date: Reese Witherspoon, 42, and her husband Jim Toth, 48, were caught stepping out for lunch in Beverly Hills, California Sunday

The Legally Blonde actress draped a cream-colored purse around her chest.

She wore her signature blonde hair down, and it flowed freely in the wind. The look was topped off with a pair of big, red, shades and barely-there, if any, makeup.

Jim was dressed down, in khaki pants that stopped at his ankles and then rolled at the bottom. He accompanied the look with a long-sleeved, button up, baby blue dress shirt.

She wasn't carrying anything in her hands, while he held two iced tea drinks.

Sunday stroll: The Legally Blonde star wore a multicolored patterned sundress and rope wrapped wedge sandals

Husband: Reese is now married to talent agent Jim Toth, 48 - they share son Tennessee James Toth, five. Here she is seen in an Instagram photo shared over the weekend

They married couple-of-seven years' drink of choice could have been because they were celebrating Iced Tea Day.

On Sunday she shared a post and picture of herself on Instagram.

The caption read, 'Since #IcedTea Day... and y'all know I'm a Southern gal who loves me some good, sweet iced tea on a Sunday!'

Style: She wore her signature blonde hair down, and it flowed freely in the wind. The look was topped off with a pair of big, red, shades and barely-there, if any, makeup

The mother-of-three threw her two oldest kids, a graduation party on Sunday.

Ava and Decon are the children Reese has with her ex-husband Ryan Phillippe, 43.

The star and her former love met at her 21st birthday in 1997 and wed the following year.

Split: In 2006, the Hollywood star and Ryan Phillippe went their separate ways and filed for divorce; seen in 2015

Ava was born in 1999 before the pair welcomed their second child Deacon in 2003.

In 2006, the Hollywood star's went their separate ways and filed for divorce.

Reese is now married to talent agent Jim Toth, 48 - they share son Tennessee James Toth, five.She's currently coupled up with Niall Aslam following a cosy date and several smooches.

And Love Island star Georgia Steel has had her previous relationship with a UKIP donor's grandson exposed amid claims she dumped him to 'find fame in London'.

The York student, 20, reportedly had a three-year relationship with Will Sykes, who is the grandson of millionaire businessman and prominent UKIP supporter Paul Sykes, but broke off the romance to attend drama school in London.

Drama: Love Island's Georgia Steel, 20, dated millionaire UKIP donor Paul Sykes' grandson Will before dumping him 'to find fame' - according to The Sun

According to The Sun, Will's grandfather was UKIP's principle European elections donor, and said to be worth upwards of 650million.

Georgia attended drama school before applying to enter the Love Island villa, and has already caused quite a stir after she celebrated Kendall-Rae Knight's eviction on Friday.

A source told the publication that the blonde beauty dated Will for a few years but decided to dump him to attend drama school in the pursuit of fame.

Georgia attended drama school before applying to enter the Love Island villa, and has already caused quite a stir after she celebrated Kendall-Rae Knight's eviction on Friday

The insider explained: 'She has wanted to be famous for a long time and is considered to be fame hungry by those who know her.

'Nothing would stop her from following her dream  not even her boyfriend. She can be quite ruthless.'

The revelation comes after Georgia revealed she doesn't know if she'll have sex while on the show, which is famous for its risque scenes and on-air romps.

Prominent: According to The Sun, Will's grandfather was UKIP's principle European elections donor, and said to be worth 650million

Georgia said: 'To be honest with you Ive not gone in there yet, so I wouldnt know how to answer that question.

'I think it can be really difficult for people to make judgments on that question as well without actually being through the experience themselves.'

Despite the somewhat-crude nature of the show, Georgia admitted her family won't be worried if she does have sex on screen.

On a mission: A source told the publication that the blonde beauty dated Will for a few years but decided to dump him to attend drama school in the pursuit of fame

'My family accept me for who I am' Georgia continued. 'Im not ruling out anything and Im not not saying anything would happen, but I feel like because youre in there with somebody one-on-one for such a long time and you do really have a connection, you just dont know.'



Before entering the famous residence, Georgia said she doesn't have time for pettiness: Im very confident, the way I am is Im very very real and my outlook on life is you either like me or you dont. If you dont like me, you know where the door is, because I dont have time for that.

'My intention would never ever be to upset anybody or hurt anybody, the way that Ive been brought up in life is to be very very honest and sometimes, [for] people who havent been around honesty, it can upset them - because sometimes the truth does hurt doesnt it?'It's the hotly anticipated show encapturing the Victorian era.

And new snaps reveal that filming is underway in Liverpool for ITV drama Victoria, as actors and real-life couple Jenna Coleman, 32, and Tom Hughes, 32, return for the third season.

The brand new series sees actress Jenna reprise her role as the young Queen, alongside Tom as Prince Albert.

Hotly anticipated: New snaps reveal that filming is underway in Liverpool for ITV drama Victoria, as actors Jenna Coleman, 32, and Tom Hughes, 32, return for the third season

Jenna looks regal in the on set snaps, as she dons a sky blue shawl over a large aquamarine hoop skirt, adding a demure peach bonnet.

Meanwhile her on screen beau cut a darker figure, in a large black overcoat with a tweed waistcoat and black leather gloves.

Joining the leads, Laurence Fox has been confirmed to play charismatic and wayward Foreign Secretary Lord Palmerston, whilst Tony and Olivier Award nominee Kate Fleetwood will play Victoria's mysterious sister Feodora, who makes an unexpected return into the Queen's life.

Queenly: Jenna looks regal in the on set snaps, as she dons a sky blue shawl over a large aquamarine hoop skirt, adding a demure peach bonnet

Back in business: The brand new series sees actress Jenna reprise her role as the young Queen, alongside Tom as Prince Albert (not pictured)

In addition, actor and comedian John Sessions will also star as Prime Minister John Russell, whilst Lily Travers, who played Lady Sophie in Kingsman, will play the Duchess of Monmouth.

Nicholas Audsley and David Burnett are also confirmed to be joining the cast as new characters.

Starting in 1848, the third instalment of the lavish drama will depict a turbulent and uncertain time for both Europe and the monarchy.

Handsome: Tom Hughes cut a darker figure, in a large black overcoat with a tweed waistcoat and black leather gloves

New faces: New talent Laurence Fox was seen on set, as he took the role of Lord Palmerston

Regal: Jenna looked relaxed and happy as filming took place on Saturday in Liverpool

New talent: Joining the leads, Laurence Fox (left) has been confirmed to play charismatic and wayward Foreign Secretary Lord Palmerston, whilst Tony and Olivier Award nominee Kate Fleetwood (right) will play Victoria's mysterious sister Feodora

Historical drama: Starting in 1848, the third instalment of the lavish drama will depict a turbulent and uncertain time for both Europe and the monarchy

Critical decisions: With revolutions on the continent and the Chartist movement reaching its peak in London, Victoria is under pressure from the government to leave London for her own safety

With revolutions on the continent and the Chartist movement reaching its peak in London, Victoria is under pressure from the government to leave London for her own safety.

Creator Daisy Goodwin said: 'Victoria and Albert are the most famous couple of the nineteenth century, but underneath the united facade, their relationship is at breaking point and it is a struggle for mastery that neither side can win.'

Praised for its opulent production values, Victoria is one of ITV's most successful dramas, with the first series being the highest rating drama of 2016 on the channel.

The second series continued to prove immensely popular, attracting a consolidated average of 6.4 million viewers and a 25% share.

Breaking point: Creator Daisy Goodwin said: 'Victoria and Albert are the most famous couple of the nineteenth century, but underneath the united facade, their relationship is at breaking point and it is a struggle for mastery that neither side can win' (pictured: Jenna Coleman)Former EastEnders villain Leslie Grantham is said to be fighting for his life today and was pictured looking frail while filming in February (pictured)

EastEnders villain Leslie Grantham is gravely ill in hospital and recently sold his Bulgarian home before returning to Britain knowing 'he wouldn't be going back', MailOnline can reveal today.

The 71-year-old actor who played hardman 'Dirty' Den Watts in the BBC soap looked 'gaunt, frail and grey' recently, neighbours and close friends have said.

Mr Grantham's agent has said her client 'remains poorly and is being taken care of by medical staff' but will not reveal the nature of his illness.

The actor returned to the UK from Bulgaria having moved abroad following the breakdown of his marriage after 31 years.

A sex scandal where he was caught performing a sex act on a webcam led to three failed suicide attempts.

One friend who lives close to Mr Grantham said the star was 'frail' and 'gaunt' as recently as 'four or five weeks ago'.

He told MailOnline the actor was open about being ill: 'I said to him, 'you alright Les?'. He said: 'I'm fine'. He was positive about it all He didn't have much on him. He was alone'.

A cafe worker said: 'He was living at a friend's house. Leslie lived on his own'.

Shop assistant Jancy Kar said Grantham used to buy cigarettes almost everyday from her corner shop but thought he had quit this year.

She said: 'He used to buy cigarettes, Davidoff ones. He was not buying every day but very often. I saw him about three or four months ago. I think he's stopped smoking now.

'He was very friendly and talking nicely but he never said anything like 'I'm that guy and I'm famous'.

He helped the soap pull in its biggest-ever audience, when 30 million viewers tuned in to see him hand over divorce papers to lying wife Angie on Christmas Day 1986 (pictured)

Grantham (left) is shown in the first episode to be broadcast of the BBC soap in February of 1985

The star looked frail when he was last seen in public in February filming for The Krays: Dead Man Walking, which is set for release in December.

Fans have been wishing him well today and said they are praying for his recovery.

Top 5 biggest moments in UK television history 1. The 1966 World Cup Final, 30 July 1966: 32.30 million viewers 2. Diana's funeral, 6 September 1997: 32.10 million viewers 3. The Royal Family documentary, 21 June 1969 and 28 June 1969: 30.69 million viewers 4. EastEnders (Den handing Angie divorce papers), 25 December 1986: 30.15 million viewers 5. Apollo 13's splashdown, 17 April 1970: 28.60 million viewers Advertisement

Ben Ofoedu, the singer from Phats and Small, said today: 'Producer of the panto I was in. A train journey with him was one of most fascinating journeys I had. Full of knowledge praying all will be well. @LesGranthamReal'.

Des Atkinson tweeted: @LesGranthamReal sorry to hear you are ill hope you hope you feel well soon #legend'.

Leslie Grantham played the Queen Vic landlord 'Dirty' Den from 1985 to 1989 - and later returned despite apparently being murdered on a canal path.

For a time he was one of Britain's most famous men and helped EastEnders pull in its biggest-ever audience, when more than 30 million viewers tuned in to see him hand over divorce papers to lying wife Angie on Christmas Day 1986.

It is still the fourth most watched TV show in British history, narrowly beaten by Princess Diana's funeral and the 1966 World Cup final.

Den earned his 'Dirty' nickname in the programme after beating up his wife and impregnating a 16-year-old girl before he was apparently killed off in 1989.

In 2003, however, Den was given a rather dubious resurrection when it was revealed that he had survived the assassination attempt and fled to Spain.

Once back in Walford, Den quickly returned to his villainous ways, spreading mayhem for another two years until new wife Chrissie battered him over the head with an iron doorstop.

She killed him off for good in the very pub he once owned and buried him in the cellar of the Queen Vic in an episode aired in 2005. It was viewed by 16.2 million people.

Left: Leslie Grantham as Den Watts, Anita Dobson as Angie Watts, Letitia Dean as Sharon Watts with Roly the dog outside the Queen Vic pub in 1984. Right: Grantham in the Dad's Army show at the Marina Theatre in Lowestoft, 2004

Grantham enlisted in the British Army in 1965, being sent to West Germany with the Royal Fusiliers.

In 1966, however, he was involved in a struggle with a taxi driver he was attempting to rob in Osnabruck, Lower Saxony.

The driver, Felix Reese, was ultimately shot in the head and died.

EastEnders star Leslie Grantham, 71 'fighting for his life' and is 'very poorly', his representative has told The Sun

In 1967, Grantham was convicted of murder and sentenced to life imprisonment.

It was during his time behind bars - he spent ten years in British jails - that he first took to acting.

He performed in many plays during his time in prison and was encouraged to pursue acting by Labour politician T Dan Smith and actress Louise Jameson.

In 2004, Grantham was exposed by a Sunday newspaper after he took part in webcam chats while masturbating and sucking his finger in his dressing room.

He apologised to his family for the embarrassment but later said he was 'set up'.

Grantham said he was so devastated after the scandal that he attempted suicide.

After failing in all his attempts, he explained: 'I accepted that even at suicide I was c***.'

After leaving EastEnders, Grantham played the pantomime villain in various productions.

He also featured in two UK tours of Beyond Reasonable Doubt, a stage adaption of a Jeffrey Archer play.

In 2006, he played Jimmy Collins - a man on the run from prison - in The Bill.

He most recently appeared in The English Neighbour, a Bulgarian TV series based on a book of the same name.

Tracy-Ann Oberman as Chrissie and Leslie Grantham as Den Watts in EastEnders during an episode broadcast in 2004

He revealed in 2015 that he would like to win a role in Coronation Street.

Despite becoming infamous as one of Walford's most notorious residents, he confessed he had been offered a role in the ITV soap before he ever starred in EastEnders, but turned it down.

But the actor admitted that his EastEnders fame might make it hard for audiences to accept him in another soap role.

'It's difficult to get in now if you are well-known in another soap,' he said. 'I know Michelle Collins went into Corrie but I'll always be known as Dirty Den.'

In 2016, he told The Mirror that he had made some 'quite catastrophic' diversions during his life.

He added: 'But I'm safe in the knowledge that what I do now is good.

'Of course I have regrets, but you can't go round wearing a hair shirt all your life, otherwise you'll never get out of bed in the morning. I f***** up, now I'm going to move on.'She was left in shock after her husband covered their lavish abode in hundreds of pink rose petals to mark their fifth wedding anniversary.

And celebrations didn't stop for Tamara Ecclestone and Jay Rutland as the pair enjoyed an upscale dinner at Henry's Bar in Mayfair, London on Monday evening.

The billionaire heiress, 33, cut a typically glamorous figure as she donned a sophisticated polka dot dress, which slashed at her thighs to reveal her toned legs.

Milestone: Tamara Ecclestone and Jay Rutland celebrated their fifth wedding anniversary as the pair enjoyed an upscale dinner at Henry's Bar in Mayfair, London on Monday evening

The mother-of-one complemented her envy-inducing figure as the elegant frock was embellished with frills and a trendy cold-shoulder feature.

Upping the style ante, the daughter of business magnate Bernie Ecclestone added to her height in a pair of strappy black heels, and toted a box-shaped clutch bag.

The leggy model continued her stunning display in the make-up department as she wore heavy eyeliner, heavy strokes of foundation and nude lipstick.

Stunning: The billionaire heiress, 33, cut a typically glamorous figure as she donned a sophisticated polka dot dress, which slashed at her thighs to reveal her toned legs

Legs for days! The mother-of-one complemented her envy-inducing figure as the elegant frock was embellished with frills and a trendy cold-shoulder feature

Commanding attention: Upping the style ante, the daughter of business magnate Bernie Ecclestone added to her height in a pair of strappy black heels, and toted a box-shaped bag

Framing her strikingly beautiful face, Tamara styled her chestnut locks into voluminous curls.

Meanwhile, 37-year-old Jay looked every inch the dapper star as he sported an off-black suit with a crisp white shirt.

The businessman took to Instagram to treat their fans to a glimpse of their candlelit dinner, as he shared a snap of their food.

All eyes on her: The leggy model continued her stunning display in the make-up department as she wore heavy eyeliner, heavy strokes of foundation and nude lipstick

Walk this way: Framing her strikingly beautiful face, Tamara styled her chestnut locks into voluminous curls

Suave: Meanwhile, 37-year-old Jay looked every inch the dapper star as he sported an off-black suit with a crisp white shirt

The couple tied the knot in the South of France in a lavish 7million ceremony in the south of France.

Earlier in the day, Tamara woke up to find her husband Jay had transformed their multi-million pound home in honour of their anniversary.

The socialite, who had earlier paid tribute to her partner on Instagram, was overwhelmed when she walked down the stairs with her four-year-old daughter Sophia to find a life-sized floral number five, hundreds of pink rose petals and pearl unicorn.

Surprise! Tamara Ecclestone woke up to find her husband Jay Rutland had transformed their multi-million pound home in honour of their fifth wedding anniversary on Monday

In the Instagram video, Tamara said: 'Aww its so pretty look fifi,' before describing it as the 'best thing ever'.

Cameraman Jay followed them through the hallway to the living room, where a giant pearl unicorn stood next to the floral garland, which was surrounded by glass jar candles.

Heading into the kitchen, the youngster exclaimed: 'yummy in my tummy,' upon finding different flavoured cupcakes laid on the table in a heart design.

Smitten: The socialite, who had earlier paid tribute to her partner on Instagram, was overwhelmed by his generosity

Splashing out: The reality star walked down the stairs with her four-year-old daughter Sophia to find a life-sized floral number five, hundreds of pink rose petals and dozens of balloons

And if those grand gestures weren't enough, Jay littered the house with metallic balloons attaching notes of special memories the pair have shared during their five-year marriage.

Marking the occasion, Tamara posted a black and white picture of her kissing Jay from the wedding day.

She captioned the snap: '5 years ago the beginning of our adventure.'

Impressive: Cameraman Jay followed them through the hallway to the living room, where a giant pearl unicorn stood next to the floral garland, which was surrounded by glass jar candles

Tasty treat: Heading into the kitchen, the youngster exclaimed: 'yummy in my tummy,' upon finding different flavoured cupcakes laid on the table in a heart design

The pair married in June, 2013 after a whirlwind romance and splashed out 7million on her nuptials in the South of France, where they were serenaded by Mariah Carey and Elton John.

Over 150 guests were invited to the lavish three-day event, with the couple famously downed shots and jumping in the sea at the Grand-Hotel du Cap-Ferrat as they laid on a free bar for their partying pals.

Tamara has previously gushed about how her husband spoils her but insisted personalised sentiments impress her more than designer gifts.

She told The Mail On Sunday: 'Jay is brilliant at giving presents, For my birthday he gave me a DVD of pictures of us all, taken since Sophia was born. Personalised gifts mean so much to me.

Tamara's post comes after the doting mum admitted that she is so attached to her daughter that she didn't spent a night away from the tot for the first three years of her life.

True love: The pair married in June, 2013 after a whirlwind romance and splashed out 7million on her nuptials in the South of France, where they were serenaded by Mariah Carey

Speaking on This Morning last month, she said: 'No one can care for your child as well as you can, if I was to leave Fifi I would leave her with my sister, I do have a trust issue, but I like to be there.

'I still breastfeed her in the night, I've talked openly about that, it's a personal decision.

She continued: 'I really don't have a desire to [go away], I go out for dinner with my husband, but I come back to her and I like to make sure she's ready in the morning.'

Meanwhile, Tamara jetted to Dubai with Sophia and husband Jay Rutland earlier this month on their eighth holiday this year.

They enjoyed a magical trip to Disneyland Paris in March, which followed up their envy-inducing getaways to Mexico and the Bahamas. Tamara started the year right by heading to sunny Los Angeles with her daughter Fifi and sister Petra.She's the Australian actress who has made a name for herself in Hollywood.

And this week, Teresa Palmer has revealed that she must jet out of Australia, where she is shooting her new film, due to visa issues involving her son Bodhi, four.

The 32-year-old, who will finish filming Michelle Payne biopic Ride Like a Girl this week, is heading back to LA because her son is only on an Australian visitor visa.

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'We have to go back to Los Angeles': Teresa Palmer is forced to leave her native Australia due to visa issues involving her son Bodhi, four

Speaking to The Daily Telegraph, Teresa explained that she will be in Adelaide for a few more days until she jets to California.

She said her family will then head to Indonesia for a few months, where he will go to school.

'We only get three months which is crazy. I have to get his citizenship taken care of so he's at the end of his visa and we have to go back to LA,' Teresa said.

Challenges: The 32-year-old, who will finish filming Michelle Payne biopic Ride Like a Girl this week, is heading back to LA because her son is only on an Australian visitor visa

Regarding her decision to send Bodhi to school in Indonesia, Teresa added: 'It's a very philanthropic, mindful school.'

Teresa hails from Adelaide but is based in America with her film director husband Mark Webber and their children.

Bodhi was born in the United States.

On-set incident: Last month, Teresa was reportedly left 'shaken' after being forced to jump from a 'spooked' horse when it bolted while filming Ride Like a Girl

Last month, Teresa was reportedly left 'shaken' after being forced to jump from a 'spooked' horse when it bolted while filming Ride Like a Girl.

'She was shaken but not hurt. Teresa is back riding on set again and doing amazing work as Michelle Payne,' a producer told the Herald Sun at the time.

He explained how Teresa rode the horse until it slowed down, before jumping off in case it bolted again.

'Teresa had considerable horse riding training before commencing filming and, due to her skill, she rode the horse brilliantly until it slowed down,' they added.

Ride Like A Girl is based on Michelle Payne's life and career, including her historic Melbourne Cup win in 2015.They're the loved up couple who've been married for three-and-a-half years.

And Lauren Scruggs looked amazing when she joined her husband Jason Kennedy, 36, in Miami on Monday.

Enjoying a romantic vacation together, the 29-year-old flaunted her ample cleavage in a red bathing suit while enjoying a cold beverage.

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Couple's vacation! Lauren Scruggs flaunted her ample cleavage while holidaying with shirtless TV husband Jason Kennedy in Miami on Monday

Lauren, who rose to fame after losing her left arm and left eye after walking into a plane propeller in 2011, paired her revealing one-piece with a pair of cut-off denim shorts.

She appeared to be makeup free and kept a low profile with large sunglasses.

The blogger embraced the vacation lifestyle by leaving her blonde locks untamed.

Sun safety at its finest! Jason was also seen sitting relaxing by the pool shirtless while shielding himself from the strong Florida sun with a pair of shades

Miami style! Lauren, who rose to fame after losing her left arm and left eye after walking into a plane propeller in 2011, has been showcasing her trim physique online since arriving at her resort over the weekend

Jason was also seen sitting relaxing by the pool shirtless while shielding himself from the strong Florida sun with a pair of shades.

Lauren and her E! News beau have been vacationing at the 1 Hotel on South Beach since Sunday.

The couple's time away marks six months since Lauren made headlines for defending her husband's reported $1.2 million salary in comparison to his female co-host Catt Sadler's below $600,000.

The couple's time away marks six months since Lauren made headlines for defending her husband's reported $1.2 million salary in comparison to his female co-host Catt Sadler's (right) $600,000 (Photo: NBC Press Junket November 2017)

The pay disparity led Catt to leave NBC based on her claim that the gap in salary was rooted in gender based discrimination.

At the time, Lauren released a lengthy blog post defending the company, deeming that 'a network (that truly cares about its employees) is being deemed as sexist when that is simply not true.'

But it wasn't long until stars such as Amy Schumer, Eva Longoria, Reese Witherspoon and Debra Messing sent their support to the brunette bombshell both online and while on red carpets.

'We stand with you, Catt'! 'We support gender equity and equal pay and we hope that E! follows that lead with Catt as well,' said Eva on the E! network while being interviewed by Ryan Seacrest on the 2018 Golden Globes red carpet

Her latest role! Taking some time out of the spotlight, the much loved mother-of-two has since launched her own podcast series and Monday saw her relaunch her blog site The Cattwalk

'We support gender equity and equal pay and we hope that E! follows that lead with Catt as well,' said Eva on the E! network while being interviewed by Ryan Seacrest on the 2018 Golden Globes red carpet.

'We stand with you, Catt,' she added.

Taking some time out of the spotlight, the much loved mother-of-two has since launched her own podcast series and Monday saw her relaunch her blog site The Cattwalk.

The new and improved blog sees interviews from a variety of the nation's top stars including comedian Amy Schumer and the fiance of Mohamed Hadid - Shiva Safai.ABC/Randy HolmesImagine Dragons, Fall Out Boy and Thirty Seconds to Mars will head down to Atlanta this fall to play the 2018 Music Midtown festival, held September 15-16 in ATL's Piedmont Park.

The lineup also includes Portugal. the Man, AWOLNATION, The Revivalists, Foster the People, K.Flay, Robert DeLong, lovelytheband, Rainbow Kitten Surprise and Arthur Buck, among others.

For the full bill and ticket info, visit MusicMidtown.com.

Copyright  2018, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.Who doesnt want to look fit and perfect, right? I mean, almost all of us have been running in this...I don't know how many young women come to this blog or how many are parents of teenage or young adult women, but here are some safety tips from Kelsey's Army:

T

I

P

S

1. Trust your instincts - If something feels wrong then something probably is wrong.2. Know your surroundings - know who and what is around you.3. Always have a plan for where you would go and what you would do if a situation arises.4. Be willing to make a scene in order to be noticed.5. Let someone know where you are going and when you will be back.Remember the acronym TIPS:ake Chargenform others of your whereaboutsrepare for any situationurvival Mentality (role play situations so you will respond should they happen)For more information, go to Kelsey's ArmyCharlie Lynn - "I had seen many beautiful memorials at battlefields but there was nothing at Kokoda

KAYLA OSBORNE | Campbelltown-Macarthur Advertiser (NSW)

CAMDEN - Charlie Lynn has crossed the strenuous Kokoda Track 92 times, served in NSW parliament and been awarded Papua New Guineas second highest honour.

Yesterday he added another achievement to his list as a recipient of the Medal of the Order of Australia.

Mr Lynn was given the prestigious title for service to the people and parliament of NSW.

The Camden resident said he was humbled to receive the Queens Birthday Honour.

I was greatly honoured to receive the Officer of the Order of Logohu in Papua New Guinea two years ago and I feel greatly honoured again, Mr Lynn said. Honestly it was a real surprise  there are people out there who have done much more than me.Shanghai (Gasgoo)- Chongqing Changan Automobile Co., Ltd (Changan Auto) delivered 174,190 vehicles in May, down by 11.3% from a year ago and declining 6.7% over the previous month. For the first five months, the automaker saw its cumulative sales reaching 1,019,208 units. Besides, the automaker delivered a total of 7,050 EVs last month, according to the data the company released on June 9.

Although the CS75 has been in the process of updating, its May sales reached 9,213 units. In addition, the monthly deliveries of the CS55 and the CS35 were 9,206 units and 10,991 units respectively. As to sedan models, the deliveries of the Changan EADO (including the all-new EADO and the EADO DT) totaled 8,146 units in May. Meanwhile, 2,090 units of the Raeton CC were delivered last month.

Changan Ford suffered a year-on-year slump of 49.2% with 30,366 vehicles delivered in May. From January to May, the company witnessed its aggregate deliveries reaching 198,617 units. Changan Mazda's May sales reached 15,812 units, rising 12.5% year on year, while edging down 2.6% month on month. Moreover, Jiangling Motors Holding sported a year-on-year jump of 23.2% in May with a sales volume up to 33,462 units and boasted a month-on-month growth of 18.4% as well.

Shanghai (Gasgoo)- Gasgoo summarizes part of Chinese automakers' sales in May as below. Apart from Changan Auto, GAC Group and JAC Motors, other automakers achieved year-on-year growth last month. SAIC Motor remained to be the champion title-holder by monthly sales. It the noteworthy that Geely Auto sported both year-on-year and month-on-month sales surge of over 40%.

SAIC Motor

SAIC Motor delivered 574,430 vehicles in May with a year-on-year sales increase of 14.8%. Over the first five months, its cumulative sales rose 11.6% from a year ago to 2,965,960 units.

The top 3 subsidiaries by May sales were SAIC Volkswagen, SAIC-GM-Wuling, and SAIC-GM with 492,329 units handed over in total, accounting for around 86% of the group's total monthly sales. Apart from Naveco and Sunwin Bus, the other subsidiaries all achieved year-on-year sales growth last month. Especially, SAIC-CP sported a year-on-year leap up to 111.5% to 2,155 units.

Dongfeng Motor

Dongfeng Motor Corporation (Dongfeng Motor) announced on June 8 that its year-to-date sales reached 1,606,700 units by the end of May, up by 4.36% from the previous year and achieving year-on-year growth for 3 months in a row. The cumulative deliveries of passenger vehicles (PV) and commercial vehicles (CV) grew 3.99% and 6.32% over a year ago to 1,347,600 units and 259,100 units. Besides, a total of 6,500 electric vehicles (EV) were delivered through May.

Dongfeng Motor sported a year-on-year sales growth of 5.49% with 311,400 vehicles delivered in May. Its monthly PV sales totaled 257,500 units, increasing 5.39% over the year-ago period. Around 53,900 CVs were handed over to customers last month, rising 5.95% from the previous year.

Changan Auto

Chongqing Changan Automobile Co., Ltd (Changan Auto) delivered 174,190 vehicles in May, suffering a year-on-year drop of 11.3% and a month-on-month decline of 6.7%. For the first five months, the automaker saw its cumulative sales reaching 1,019,208 units. Besides, the automaker delivered a total of 7,050 EVs last month, according to the data the company released on June 9.

Changan Ford suffered a year-on-year slump of 49.2% with 30,366 vehicles delivered in May. From January to May, the company witnessed its aggregate deliveries reaching 198,617 units. Changan Mazda's May sales reached 15,812 units, rising 12.5% year on year, while edging down 2.6% month on month. Moreover, Jiangling Motors Holding sported a year-on-year jump of 23.2% in May with a sales volume up to 33,462 units and boasted a month-on-month growth of 18.4% as well.

GAC Group

GAC Group delivered a total of 837,817 vehicles for the first five months, achieving a year-on-year growth of 5.72% and its monthly sales were 165,070 units in May.

GAC Group posted a passenger vehicle (PV) sales volume of 164,565 units last month. By the end of May, the group has achieved a sales volume of 835,865 PVs in 2018 with a year-on-year increase of 5.55%. With regard to segments, the deliveries of sedans and SUVs reached 73,677 units and 84,019 units in May. From January to May, 359,527 units of sedans were delivered with a year-on-year jump of 12.3%. Meanwhile, the year-to-date SUV deliveries were up to 447,299 units, accounting for 53% of the company's total cumulative deliveries.

Geely Auto

Geely Auto's monthly sales reached 123,068 vehicles in May, zooming 61% year on year. Over the first five months, its cumulative deliveries leaped 44% from a year ago to 638,181 units, which has completed 40% of its 2018 sales target of 1.58 million units, the company reported on June 6.

Through May, the sales of the Borui and the Boyue totaled 132,099 units. The Jan-May sales of the Emgrand family reached 240,094 units. Besides, 219,890 units of the Vision family were delivered for the first five months. Moreover, the May sales of the Lynk & Co 01 set a new high of 9,234 units.

Great Wall Motor

Great Wall Motor (GWM) posted May sales of 70,900 units with a slight year-on-year decrease of 2.85%. To be specific, sales of SUVs reached 58,700 units, representing a slight growth of 0.51% over the previous year. During the past five months, GWM's cumulative sales totaled 409,300 units with a year-on-year increase of 3.29%.

In May, Haval's SUVs except the H9 all suffered sales decline to different degrees. The total sales of Haval SUVs reached 47,610 units, slumping 18.46% year on year. Meanwhile, GWM's high-end brand WEY suffered substantial sales drop for both the VV5 and the VV7. The total sales of both models only reached 10,576 units in May. Specifically, deliveries of the VV5 and the VV7 reached 5,562 units and 5,014 units respectively in May.

Chery Auto

Chery Automobile sold 65,593 vehicles in May, seeing a year-on-year jump of 26.6%. Last month, its vehicle export volume reached 15,020 units, surging 48.6% from a year ago, according to the company's sales report.

As to brands, Chery brand delivered 38,758 units with an increase of 17.5% on an annual basis. Chery Jaguar Land Rover handed over 7,037 units in May, achieving a slight growth of 3.4% from the same period last year. Sales of commercial vehicles reached 11,243 units, soaring 100.7% year on year. Qoros' monthly deliveries in May reached a new high of 7,028 units, skyrocketing 538.7% over the same period last year.

BYD Auto

BYD reported its sales of 37,780 units in May, seeing a slight growth compared to last month. The cumulative sales through May reached 186,920 units. Specifically, fuel-powered vehicles' May sales and YTD sales reached 23,539 units and 129,124 units respectively. Deliveries of new energy vehicles (NEV) totaled 14,241 units in May, and NEV's cumulative sales reached 57,796 units till the end of May.

As to fuel-powered vehicles, sales of sedan, SUV and MPV reached 4,634 units, 4,620 units and 14,285 units respectively in May. Generally speaking, BYD's fuel-powered vehicles suffered unstable sales performance during the past five months. In January, its sales reached 35,008 units, but declined to 17,916 units in February. In March, BYD saw sales revival of fuel-powered vehicles to nearly 30,000 units. During March and May, BYD posted stable sales performance. Particularly, sales gap between April and May was less than 100 units.

JAC Motors

JAC Motors delivered a total of 35,096 vehicles and chassis in May with a year-on-year drop of 2.82%. From January to May, the cumulative sales of the automaker's vehicles and chassis reached 223,782 units, declining 6.68% from a year ago.

In addition, JAC Motors exported 5,843 vehicles in total, achieving a year-on-year jump of 22.86%. By the end of May, the automaker's year-to-date export volume grew 5.8% from the previous year to 33,364 units.Country

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Principe, Democratic Republic of Saudi Arabia, Kingdom of Senegal, Republic of Serbia and Montenegro Seychelles, Republic of Sierra Leone, Republic of Singapore, Republic of Slovakia (Slovak Republic) Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia, Somali Republic South Africa, Republic of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Spain, Spanish State Sri Lanka, Democratic Socialist Republic of St. Helena St. Kitts and Nevis St. Lucia St. Pierre and Miquelon St. Vincent and the Grenadines Sudan, Democratic Republic of the Suriname, Republic of Svalbard & Jan Mayen Islands Swaziland, Kingdom of Sweden, Kingdom of Switzerland, Swiss Confederation Syrian Arab Republic Taiwan, Province of China Tajikistan Tanzania, United Republic of Thailand, Kingdom of Timor-Leste, Democratic Republic of Togo, Togolese Republic Tokelau (Tokelau Islands) Tonga, Kingdom of Trinidad and Tobago, Republic of Tunisia, Republic of Turkey, Republic of Turkmenistan Turks and Caicos Islands Tuvalu Uganda, Republic of Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom of Great Britain & N. Ireland Uruguay, Eastern Republic of Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of Viet Nam, Socialist Republic of Wallis and Futuna Islands Western Sahara Yemen Zambia, Republic of ZimbabweThe changes in U.S.-North Korean relations over the past year have been drastic enough to give any casual observer whiplash: North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un and President Donald Trump have gone from openly exchanging threats of nuclear war to agreeing to the first ever meeting between a North Korean head of state and a sitting U.S. president, set to be held Tuesday in Singapore.

While the progression from threats of war to overtures of peace and possible denuclearization should be applauded, the dismal human rights situation in North Korea should not and cannot be ignored and should be included as part of any ongoing negotiations.

Peace is necessary, but not sufficient for flourishing

Despite Kims recent push to improve his global image in a so-called charm offensive, we should not be distracted from the deeper truth that lies beneath the facade of diplomatic goodwill: North Korea remains a repressive autocratic regime that maintains horrific political prison camps , monitors, arrests, tortures, and kills Christians and those of other faiths, commits worldwide cyber-attacks , and flouts international sanctions by engaging in illegal trade, human trafficking, and drug smuggling.

Christians and other concerned observers should welcome the recent de-escalation of tensions on the Korean Peninsula and fervently pray and hope for peace, but that peace should not come at the cost of leaving the North Korean people in their dire situation. The absence of war does not mean that people are flourishing. True flourishing can only come through the empowerment of free markets and a political system that upholds the rule of law and respects religious freedom, which provides the basis for all rights. One needs only look at South Korea in comparison to confirm these undeniable facts.

A tale of two Koreas

South Korea, which maintains a republican government with democratic elections and a robust market economy, has the 15th largest GDP in the world , above that of Canada or Australia. About 29 percent of people in South Korea are Christian , and those in the South are free to live, travel, and believe as they see fit.

Conversely, North Korea maintains a communist dictatorship led by a hereditary cult of personality with a centrally-controlled economy. It ranks 118th in the world for GDP , below that of war-torn Syria and Yemen. Only about one percent of North Koreans are Christian. The nonprofit Open Doors has rated North Korea as the single worst persecutor of Christians in the world.

North and South Korea share an ethnic background, language, and cultural heritage. The major difference between the two is the form of government under which their people have been ruled since the Korean peninsula was liberated from imperial Japanese control in 1945.

The road to true flourishing

Nuclear weapons are rightly a major focus of the ongoing negotiations between the United States and North Korea. President Trump should not jeopardize the talks or weaken the United States bargaining position by focusing on human rights for fear of losing the progress that has been made.

Instead, denuclearization should be a starting point from which further dialogue and engagement can take place. It will not be an overnight process, and concessions will have to be made, to believe otherwise would be to ignore history. But using denuclearization as an end in itself and stopping there, rather than using it as a means to the greater end of opening up North Korea to further reforms would be great folly.

A North Korea that opens itself to international trade and relationships by giving up some or all of its nuclear capabilities will soon discover what the West has known for centuries: when goods and ideas flow across borders, tanks and boots do not. Lasting peace can only be achieved if North Korea opens itself up, and human rights, grounded in the Judeo-Christian tradition are the lynchpin of this process.

To lose sight of the ultimate goal of a free and flourishing Korean Peninsula by ignoring the Norths human rights record and appalling treatment of those of faith would be to lose sight of the very foundations of our own values and prosperity as well.

If youd like to dig deeper on religious freedom and the human rights situation in North Korea, read Fighting for totalitarianisms victims: An interview with Suzanne Scholte from Religion & Liberty.By Carrie David Campbell (SMDC/ARSTRAT)

PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colorado - Seven of the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command/Army Forces Strategic Command's top warriors faced off this week to determine who would be the command's 2018 Best Warriors.

The command's regional winners descended on Peterson Air Force Base and Fort Carson to compete in a variety of Soldier skills for the command's Best Warrior Competition, June 4-8.

"What I'd like for you all to take away from this is that these Soldiers did this on their own time," said Command Sgt. Maj. Jerome Wiggins, USASMDC/ARSTRAT's command sergeant major. "This is something they did additional to doing their jobs, and these are the types of Soldiers that we're looking for in the United States Army."

Facing off were three noncommissioned officers and four Soldiers: Sgt. Nicola T. Sciara and Spc. Dylan S. Caramella, Company B, 53rd Signal Battalion, 1st Space Brigade, Fort Meade, Maryland, Eastern Region; Sgt. Eric Roberts and Spc. Lauren A. Pauzus, 100th Missile Defense Brigade, Colorado Springs, Colorado, Western Region; Spc. Fabian Juarez, 1st Space Company, 1st Space Battalion, 1st Space Brigade, Misawa Air Base, Japan, Pacific Region; and Staff Sgt. Kendall Feb and Spc. Aaron Boyers, Company C, 53rd Signal Battalion, Landstuhl, Germany, European Region.

"I'm proud today to stand here and congratulate each and every one of you. Today there can only be one winner, but I can tell you - I had three times to compete before I won it as a Soldier and three times as a staff sergeant before I won it as an NCO - that all you have to do is continue to come back, continue to fight, and never give up on your dream," Wiggins said. "Regardless of what other people tell you, you are your own worst enemy. You can be anything you want to be. Each one of you possesses the desirable traits, attributes and competencies associated with being a professional Soldier, and I appreciate you."

The winners were announced during a ceremony June 7 at the command's operational headquarters on Peterson Air Force Base. The NCO Best Warrior is Feb and the Soldier Best Warrior is Caramella.

SMDC's Deputy Commanding General for Operations, Brig. Gen. Tim Lawson, spoke to the competitors.

"First of all, congratulations. I'd like to echo what CSM Wiggins said, these guys did it on their own. They're all winners. So the ones who just walked off are just as much winners as anybody else in this room," Lawson said. "You volunteered to put this uniform on, and you're doing great things. Then you took it to another step higher by volunteering to stand out ahead of your peers out there and do the things you just did."

Caramella said he spent a lot of hours studying and training.

"I feel relieved, very relieved. It's a lot of hard work, and I got the fruits of my labor, I guess is a good way to put it," he said. "I put a lot of effort into training and studying, but I think next time I need to put more effort into studying for the board. I think that's my biggest deficit, but, yes, I spent a lot of hours studying for everything."

The Soldiers competed in a series of events testing their skills including the Army Physical Fitness Test, day and night land navigation, Army Warrior Tasks and Battle Drills, 12-mile ruck march, combatives, obstacle course, weapons qualification, written common Soldier knowledge examination, written essay, and appearance in front of a board consisting of command sergeants major from across the command.

While the board was Caramella's least favorite event, for Feb it was the 12-mile ruck march.

"It feels good to win. It was a good challenge, honestly. It was something that I looked forward to. I'm glad I was able to win it, and I get to challenge myself again," Feb said. "Surprisingly, the ruck was challenging for me. It was, interestingly enough, supposed to be my strongest event, but those cramps tore me down. That was another level of mental stress that I was in. That was the hardest event."

Feb said land navigation was his favorite. He said that while he felt like he would do well in the event that he did much better than he anticipated. Caramella said he most enjoyed the Army Warrior Tasks and Battle Drills.

"We're controllers, so we have to sit behind a desk all day, but we actually get to do Soldier things that we really would never do," Caramella said. "I never train on this, but here I am doing it proficiently. It's not something I do every day. And it makes you feel like a different kind of Soldier, I guess. I'm a technical Soldier. This makes me feel like a tactical Soldier."

Feb and Caramella will represent the command in the Military District of Washington Best Warrior Competition in August.

Feb said he plans to continue training and studying.

"Physically I'm in a pretty good place," Feb said. "I'm going to continue to train. I can always get better, and then I'm going to study as much as I can between now and the next one because I have time now. And then I'm going to put my best foot forward."

Feb and Caramella both received Army Commendation Medals during the ceremony, but another NCO was also recognized for his efforts. SMDC's Headquarters and Headquarters Company first sergeant, 1st Sgt. Benjamin Sharp, explained to attendees why.

"This event would not have been possible without the help of several people, however one stood out," Sharp said. "Sgt. 1st Class Wolfgang McLachlan, post. This noncommissioned officer helped make this event a success. He went above and beyond to ensure that the Soldiers were taken care of and were provided the best chance to succeed."

Wiggins reminded attendees that enlisted Soldiers comprise most of the Army and are the ones who make things happen.

"At the end of the day, 86 percent of the Army is enlisted," Wiggins said. "We are where the rubber meets the road. We are where we make things happen, and we are right there at the precipice of everything that happens that's good and that's associated with our United States Army."Gov. Tom Wolf of Pennsylvania plans to sign a bill requiring 7th through 12th graders to take a civics test .

Schools can use questions from the U.S. Citizenship test to check students knowledge of the structure of our government, the principles of democracy, understanding of our founding documents, and the rights and responsibilities of U.S. citizens. You can take a practice test here.

State lawmakers point to an alarming decline in civic knowledge among American adults as the reason for the bill, which in its original form made passing the test a requirement for high school graduation. A 2016 survey conducted by the University of Pennsylvanias Annenberg Public Policy Center revealed that only 26 percent of Americans were able to identify the three branches of the U.S. government. Later reports have also sounded the alarm about U.S. students poor civics knowledge .

As an educator and a mother, I find the lack of proficiency in U.S. civics and government astounding, state Representative Karen Boback, who introduced the bill, says in a statement. Now more than ever, Pennsylvanias students need all the necessary tools to be active and informed citizens.

Other states have enacted similar legislation. In 2015, Arizona and North Dakota became the first states to require students to answer a portion of the citizenship test correctly in order to graduate from high school. Of the 17 states making students take a civics test, eight require a minimum score in order to graduate.

The National Council for the Social Studies warns against requiring students to pass the U.S. Citizenship test , however, arguing that it reduces civics to a set of memorized facts that are likely soon forgotten. The group suggests instead that students complete a final project identifying a problem in the community and devising ways to solve it.

While Pennsylvania, high school seniors will not need to pass the test to graduate, those earning a perfect score will be awarded a certificate by the states department of education.

School districts will have to report the number of students taking the test, their grade, and passing rates at the end of the 2020-2021 school year and every two years after that.

Before the bill reaches the governors desk, it will have to be approved by the senate, which will likely happen when lawmakers return to work next week, according to the governors press secretary, J. J. Abbott. The law will take effect 60 days after the governor signs it.

It is our hope to ensure that students have at least a basic knowledge and understanding of civics and government in order to prepare and encourage them to be responsibly engaged citizens, the lawmakers wrote in a memo, and we believe that this legislation is an important and necessary step towards achieving this objective.

Image: Getty

Related stories:As it nears a decision in one public-employee labor case that many expect will curtail the power of the teachers unions, the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to take up a separate case involving efforts by Indiana to limit teacher-tenure rights.

The justices declined without comment to hear the appeal of the state of Indiana and Madison Consolidated Schools, which asked them to overrule a 1938 Supreme Court ruling that held that the states 1927 teacher tenure law created binding rights protecting teachers who had earned tenure.

The state and the district say the 80-year-old precedent in Indiana ex. rel. Anderson v. Brand is hampering the states full implementation of a 2011 Indiana law, known as SB 1, that included a measure allowing districts to lay off teachers based on performance rather than seniority.

Joseph Elliott, a 19-year teacher with the Madison district who earned tenure in 1998, was notified that his teaching contract was being canceled because of a reduction in teaching positions. In support of its decision to terminate him over several nontenured teachers, the district cited a handful of past performance evaluations that said Elliott needed improvement in certain areas. One was from 2012.

Elliott sued the district in state court, which removed the case to federal district court. A judge held that Elliotts dismissal violated the contracts clause in Article I of the U.S. Constitution and awarded him some $254,000 in back pay, interest, and attorneys fees.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit, in Chicago, affirmed, ruling that while state tenure statutes typically do not create contracts, the Indiana Tenure Law used contractual language that induced public reliance and therefore established a contract under the Supreme Courts decision in Anderson.

The appeals court said that Indiana remained free to change the terms of tenure prospectively, as it did for teachers hired after the 2011 reform law. But it would have to buy out the tenure rights of more senior teachers such as Elliott.

In their appeal to the Supreme Court in Board of Trustees of Madison Consolidated Schools v. Elliott (Case No. 17-1259), Indiana and the district said the decisions below hamper their efforts to reform teacher tenure. The 1938 decision in Anderson would likely be decided differently under more recent contract clause jurisprudence, the brief says, and because Indiana is the only state effectively bound by it and the older ruling is hampering school reform efforts, the justices should overrule it.

Shifting from seniority to performance as the priority consideration when a school reduces the number of teachers is a necessary component of Indianas program for quality public education, the state and Madison district argued in brief signed by Indiana Attorney General Curtis T. Hill Jr. and others. The Court should take this case so that Indiana public schools, which all-too-frequently face budget shortfalls, will have the best options available for ensuring positive student educational outcomes, even following a reduction in the teaching force.

Elliott, represented by the National Education Association and an Indianapolis lawyer, argued in a response brief that his case would make a poor vehicle for deciding a teacher-tenure question of national importance.

His lawyers agreed that the Anderson decision applies solely to Indiana, and that most states have made teacher tenure a statutory right that may be altered by lawmakers.

If Indiana had desired to make teacher tenure a statutory rather than contractual commitment, it had more than six decades in which to do so between this courts decision in Anderson and when Elliott earned tenure in 1998, the brief on behalf of the teacher says.

The teachers brief asserts that the school district based its layoff decision on little more than a freewheeling kibitzing session among school principals, which resulted in a decision to remove Elliott despite the fact that his pre-SB 1 performance ratings were superior to those of many of the teachers the board retained.

The justices declined to take up the Indiana case, but they are expected to rule by the end of June in Janus v. American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees Council 31 (No. 16-1466), which could end the right of public-employee unions to collect agency fees for collective bargaining from workers who decline to join the union.North Carolinas Supreme Court Friday ruled as constitutional a 2016 law that gave more power to the states elected superintendent to oversee the states public schools.

But both the state chief and the state board issued press releases Friday afternoon claiming victory.

In 2016, shortly after Demcrat Roy Cooper beat incumbent Republican Gov. Pat McCrory, the GOP-dominated legislature rushed through legislation that placed the state chief over several areas of the states education system, including the states charter sector, its ESSA plan, and distributing the states finances.

The governor-appointed board sued, arguing the power transfer was unconstitutional and an attempt to strip the board of its powers. The board and Mark Johnson, the newly elected Republican superintendent, have been pitted against each other in a legal battle ever since.

Fridays ruling upheld a lower-court ruling that said its not the courts responsibility to figure out who should oversee what and that the 2016 law was constitutional.

The boards attorneys Robert Orr and Drew Erteschik said in a statement, We are pleased with the Supreme Courts decision, which reaffirms that the State Board of Educationand not the Superintendent of Public Instructionhas the ultimate authority under the Constitution to supervise and administer the states public school system. We are also pleased that, while the Court stopped short of invalidating this particular legislation on its face, the Court unanimously declared that the Board has the final say on the mechanics of the relationship between the Board and the Superintendent, as well as how their respective departments will operate internally. Beyond those initial observations, we are continuing to study the Courts decision.

Johnson, the state superintendent said in a statement that the ruling validates the common-sense proposition that the duly-elected Superintendent of Public Instruction should lead the Department of Public Instruction. I am looking forward to putting this lawsuit behind us and working with board members to strengthen public education in North Carolina.

While it is unfortunate that it took more than a year and hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars to resolve this matter, the positive news is that we will be able to utilize the data-driven analysis to reorganize DPI to help the agency focus on its core mission of supporting educators, students, and parents across North Carolina.

North Carolina is one of many states in which state board powers are being reconsidered after legislators have aggressively attempted to redesign their accountability systems after the passing of the Every Student Succeeds Act and come up with new funding formulas.U.S. teachers have many possible routes into teaching, from traditional schools of education to alternative-certification programs. A new report from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development suggests that specific types of preservice training and professional development may be less related to student achievement than the content and priorities of these programs.

HIGHEST-PERFORMING COUNTRIES AND ECONOMIES, PISA 2015



Australia

Beijing-Shanghai-JiangsuGuangdong (China)

Canada

England (United Kingdom)

Estonia

Finland

Flemish Community of Belgium

Germany

Hong Kong (China)

Japan

Korea

Macao (China)

the Netherlands

New Zealand

Norway

Singapore

Slovenia

Switzerland

Chinese Taipei

The report analyzes teacher preparation and professional-development practices in relation to student acheivement results from the 2015 Programme for International Student Assessment, which is administered every few years in more than 30 industrialized nations.

Information on countries teacher policieshow they attract people to the profession, train them, help them improve, and assign them to schoolswas aggregated from Education at a Glance, the OECDs annual compendium of educational indicators across 50 industrialized countries. The analysis also used answers from principal questionaires in the 2015 PISA that asked about schools level of responsibility for selecting and training teachers.

The 19 highest-performing countries and economies vary widely on most teacher policies: Among requirements for entry to the profession, teacher evaluations, career-progression trajectories, and salaries, the most common finding is that there are no common traits, the reports authors write.

But there are three professional-development strategies that most of the highest performing areas had in common:

1) A required, extended period of clinical practice during the preservice period or at the beginning of the teachers career: The 19 top-scoring countries and economies varied in their entry requirements to the teaching profession: Some asked teacher candidates to sit for a competitive exam and attend multi-year preservice education programs, while others didnt require any specialized credentials. However, in most of the countries, teachers went through an initial period of on-the-job training during which they received feedback and support from mentors in a formalized program. These programs help educators bridge the gap between theory and practice, the reports authors write.

2) A variety of opportunities for professional development tailored to the individual teacher: In most schools in these 19 regions, teachers had access to in-house professional development . The advantage of school-based workshops, compared to attending a lecture by an external specialist, might come from the peer-learning opportunities they provide, and the fact that feedback and ideas from other experienced teachers in the same school are more directly related to concrete and common challenges in the classroom, the report reads.

3) Teacher-evaluation practices that prioritize continuous improvement: How often teachers are evaluated varies widely among countries. For example, teachers in the Netherlands undergo a mandatory evaluation every three years, while in six other high-performing countries, teachers are evaluated every year. A common feature of these appraisals, though, is that they offer feedback for teachers future development and practice.

Additionally, teachers in these high-performing countries feel valued for their professional skills. Thirteen of the 19 regions also participated in the 2013-2014 OECD Teaching and Learning International Survey, in which teachers in all but one reported above-average agreement with the statement, I think the teaching profession is valued in society.

See also: Heres What the US Can Learn About Teaching Quality From Top Countries

Teacher Selection and Student Achievement

The report also looked at how certain teacher characteristics and policies are related to students academic performance.

Having a highly qualified and experienced teacher was a strong predictor of student success. School performance and student behavior were both positively related to teachers years of experience.

Countries in which schools gained more autonomy and control over the teacher-selection process between the 2006 PISA and the 2015 PISA saw improvements in student achievement in science, reading, and math during that time period. This relationship was stronger in countries where school achievement data was used for accountability purposes.

Countries in which schools had more responsibility in the selection process were also more likely to have highly qualified teachers distributed equitably across schools, rather than concentrated in the most advantaged areas.

Opponents to school autonomy often voice concerns that greater independence of schools might lead to greater disparities in student performance and, perhaps more worryingly, to an education system that exacerbates existing economic and social inequities, the reports authors write. However, the data suggest that this is not the most common result of greater school autonomy.

Image: GettyRingggggggg!

The last bell rang. The halls are silent and students have been dismissed for the school year into the warm summer sun.

Its time for a well-needed break from structured learning and time to engage in play and curiosity.

For too long schools have tried to control what students are responsible for outside of school doors, whether it is homework or summer assignments. Teachers have been told or have felt that these expectations foster accountability and deeper learning.

And perhaps for some, it does, but for most, it doesnt.

Just like with homework, summer assignments highlight equity issues that go far beyond students not being capable of doing the learning. Lets not forget that we dont want to promote a culture that starts students in a deficit.

After having a rich conversation on social media (Facebook and Twitter) about the need for mandatory summer assignments, there seems to be a consensus that mandatory summer assignments arent a thing we should promote. Teachers, administrators, students, and parents shared their concerns and dismay with the practice.

Here are some of their ideas:

Gerald Aungst said, Love them. In fact, lets make mandatory play assignments that count upon return to school. A checklist of things students have to do during the summer or else they start off the year in the hole right out of the gate. Things such as wade in a stream, play street stickball and attend a pool party.

Anastasia Papis said, when I used to get them it always felt like pressure to do as many as you could and you would feel bad when you didnt. I am all for reading but I think it would be better for kids to feel encouraged more to want to read on their own instead of being forced during the summer when they also want that time to relax or even work before they have to do it all over again in the next school year.

Jim Detwiler said, Big fat NO. So many things wrong with it. Equity and access issues. And dont even get me started on grading practices. (You may have hit a nerve, can you tell?).

Tammy Turlington Neil said, Even if everyone did the work, what about the kid that moves in during the summer and doesnt know about the assignment. How is that fair? Definitely a big NO.

Kate LaRoue said, For AP World History, where you cover 10,000 years of History, it is critical. Most students are capable of reading a few pages, taking some notes on the Neolithic and Paleolithic eras, freeing up class time for the classical period when we start. I am no longer allowed to do this, as our school ended summer assignments. I required it to be turned in two weeks after the start of school, when they could use the notes to write a base line essay. Students did better if they read, but the essay was achievable if they had not. This delay also allowed students registering late to still do the assignment. Now, I have to assign it as homework the first week, along with what I usually do. It puts a larger load on the students since we didnt get an early start on the curriculum.

Shoshana Seid said, Count?! No. Of course, I encourage reading but threatening that it counts for somethingNO. I feel the same way about HW too.

Delilah Kellinghaus said, As a 20-year English teacher I say NO. I have taught mandatory summer reading and the results were never positive. I always found the classroom reading and productive struggle much more beneficial for students.

Pernille Ripp said, That we have no right to mandate what kids do over the summer unless they voluntarily signed up for a class that requires it.

Justin Parmenter said, If we think teachers need to unplug and practice self-care in the summer in order to be at their best in the fall, then why would the same not be true for students?

Steven Weber said, Im not a fan. Some students move to the school late in the summer. Some schools make Ss pay for the book. Some of the assignments are busy work. Some students start the 1st day of class with a C/D grade.

Courtney Johnson said, What? No way. Summer is summer. We get to tell them what to do 9 months out of the year. Let kids (and for the younger ones, their parents) make decisions about what to do during their summer. If they want to read, they will. If they want to read something challenging, they will.

Michael Horton said, Most of our high school students take one or two online college courses over the summer (by choice). AP students get prep work. Incoming 6th graders get a reading assignment. The office is open all summer if they need resources. We loan Chromebooks if needed.

Sarah Nichols said, Reading is a joy and shouldnt be required but rather celebrated and encouraged by exposing learners of all ages to books that fit their interests, questions and ability levels.

Kristen Bruck said, Seeing the pages-long assignment my 9yo has to do this summer, I totally get when my 10th-grade students come to me hating to read. I am tempted to tell my own kids just not to do their assignments and read what they want!:

What we can do instead is provide resources for students who are interested in pursuing them and encourage them to do things that inspire them in their free time without the consequence of getting a bad grade. There are so many resources available through public libraries and school libraries for families to enjoy. Lets promote a love of reading, but providing help and not expecting them to be used.

Steven Weber said, I would support student choice. Students choose from a list of books. Post blog posts throughout the summer.

Laura Mossa said, We are hosting an in-school book swap and family book bingo night to make sure all students have books to read over the summer. Our school library will be open for check out this summer and we are using @Flipgrid to share summer reading recommendations.

Karen Cribby said, We use #schoology discussion boards for them to share what theyre reading (and we join in). Im adamant though, that S dont do anything other than enjoy what theyre reading.

Matthew Winters said, Modeling what summer reading looks like. On our last day I brought in the books I plan to read this summer and told the students about the importance of continuing their reading patterns. It got through to a good percentage.

Lindsay Hall said, By talking about books with them all year, by showing them that reading can be fun once you find the right book, and by sending them off with a list of books you think theyll like #ReadingMatters #SummerReading .

Jacqui Cebrian said, I meet with my students and talk about what is in their plan. I try to send home books with them when I can. Im very fortunate to be in a well-funded district and avail myself of all the cheap books I can find. I dont treat it as icing. Its the cake. I have a lot to say on this subject I guess. Summer reading bulletin board by the office...Set up an Instagram account just to post books to and add that to the summer reading recs I put out every year to encourage interaction over the summer and keep ideas flowing. And finally, new this year, Im joining the superintendent at a farmers market booth this weekend as part of my summer reading outreach. In short ( but not really), I do everything I can think of. Also made summer reading slideshow with some book trailers embedded.

Gina Hess said, We have a great list of books chosen by kids and librarians in Florida, @FloridaSSYRA . I always give this list to my students at the end of the school year. My biggest goal is for them to read books that they choose, and this list gives them a good place to start.

Lets spend more time in school promoting a culture of curiosity and learning that transcends school, not because we want to grade kids on it or give them extra credit or punish them for not doing it, but because learning for the sake of learning is its own reward. We can foster a love of reading in so many different ways.

What will you do this summer to promote curiosity? Please share.

*Photo was taken by Starr SacksteinPosted Sunday, June 10, 2018 5:43 pm

A Republic woman who used a Polk County residence to store methamphetamine for her drug-trafficking ring has been sentenced in federal court.

According to a news release from the office of the U.S. Attorney, Western District of Missouri, Kenna Harmon, 39, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge M. Douglas Harpool on Tuesday, May 29, to 21 years and six months in federal prison without parole.

She pleaded guilty to being a leader, along with her husband, Daniel Harmon, in a drug-trafficking conspiracy, as well as a money-laundering conspiracy, and to being a felon in possession of a firearm on March 17, 2016.

In total, the Harmon drug-trafficking organization was responsible for the distribution of over 45 kilograms of methamphetamine from June 1, 2013, through Nov. 29, 2014, the release said.

Harmon is among 21 co-defendants who have been sentenced in this case. The remaining eight defendants have pleaded guilty and await sentencing.

Details of case

Beginning in 2012, the Drug Enforcement Administration, assisted by other agencies, investigated one of the largest methamphetamine distribution rings in southwest Missouri, the release said.

In December 2013, Daniel Harmon was stopped by law enforcement officers outside of St. Louis. During a search of his vehicle, officers discovered about 4 pounds of methamphetamine, $60,000 and a handgun.

He was indicted in the Eastern District of Missouri and pleaded guilty to possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute and to being a felon in possession of a firearm.

After Daniel Harmons arrest and incarceration, Kenna Harmon continued to lead the drug-trafficking organization in its distribution of methamphetamine.

Kenna Harmon directed the organization to purchase large amounts of methamphetamine from various sources of supply and provided distributive amounts of methamphetamine to co-defendants, the release said.

The Harmons obtained pound amounts of methamphetamine from sources in Kansas City, St. Louis and Oklahoma for distribution in the Springfield area.

Kenna Harmon, in order to distribute the large amount of methamphetamine that she was responsible for selling, stored methamphetamine in several residences in Greene and Polk counties, and directed several individuals to assist in maintaining those residences, the release said.

On Nov. 27, 2014, Kenna Harmon was stopped in her blue BMW 545i while traveling in Springfield.

During a search of Kenna Harmons vehicle, officers discovered a small amount of methamphetamine, $4,604 and marijuana, all of which was found on either her person or within the vehicle.

A search warrant was executed at her residence the same day, where agents found around $20,000, around 5 pounds of methamphetamine and a loaded Jennings .22-caliber pistol.

Under the terms of her plea agreement, Kenna Harmon must forfeit to the government the house she was building in Halfway.

According to the release, Kenna Harmon paid around $324,185 in cash  from drug-trafficking proceeds  for the construction of the residence.

The proceeds were paid in installments to a local building contractor that she hired, the release said. She told the contractor that she had inherited the cash, which was not true, according to the release.

Kenna Harmon used the Halfway property to promote her continued sale of methamphetamine by storing methamphetamine at the residence.

She must also forfeit a firearm, five vehicles used by the conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, jewelry purchased with drug proceeds and around $61,000.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Randall D. Eggert, Nhan D. Nguyen and Cynthia J. Hyde. It was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, IRS-Criminal Investigation, the Missouri State Highway Patrol, the Springfield Police Department and Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Homeland Security Investigations.Bowalley Road Rules



The blogosphere tends to be a very noisy, and all-too-often a very abusive, place. I intend Bowalley Road to be a much quieter, and certainly a more respectful, place.

So, if you wish your comments to survive the moderation process, you will have to follow the Bowalley Road Rules.

These are based on two very simple principles:

Courtesy and Respect.

Comments which are defamatory, vituperative, snide or hurtful will be removed, and the commentators responsible permanently banned.

Anonymous comments will not be published. Real names are preferred. If this is not possible, however, commentators are asked to use a consistent pseudonym.

Comments which are thoughtful, witty, creative and stimulating will be most welcome, becoming a permanent part of the Bowalley Road discourse.

However, I do add this warning. If the blog seems in danger of being over-run by the usual far-Right suspects, I reserve the right to simply disable the Comments function, and will keep it that way until the perpetrators find somewhere more appropriate to vent their collective spleen.

Christianity in Syria is Under Threat From Forces the West is Supporting

St. Mary's Assyrian Church in the northeastern Syrian village of Tel Nasri, destroyed by ISIS. Two thousand years of Christianity in Syria could be wiped out by the very forces Western governments are supporting, an Anglican vicar has claimed. Rev. Andrew Ashdown, who has made ten trips to Syria since 2014 and is studying for a PhD in relations between Christians and Muslims there, also accused Western nations and Western church leaders of "neglecting" Syrian Christians.

Rev. Ashdown travelled to Syria in April with a group that included Anglican Canon Giles Fraser, Baroness Cox, Bishop Michael Langrish and Dr. Erica Hunter, an expert on Middle Eastern Christianity from London University's School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS). The group was criticised for not cancelling the visit, which took place hours after British, French and American pilots carried out an airstrike on alleged chemical weapons facilities run by the regime of President Bashar al-Assad. The airstrike, near Homs, was ordered in response to a suspected chemical weapons attack and was backed by EU foreign ministers. Addressing an audience at SOAS, Rev. Ashdown said many Syrians viewed Christians as vital for maintaining the balance in Syria's pluralist society. He quoted a Muslim writer in Damascus, who had told him: "I speak to you as a Muslim. Go back to your country and tell your country not to worry about us Muslims, but tell your country to worry about the Christians, because if your country gets rid of Assad and militants win this conflict, Christians will be destroyed in Syria. And Syria will be destroyed. And next will be Europe." The speakers challenged the stance of Western governments that have wanted Assad to step down as a pre-condition to peace talks, and are backing Sunni rebel groups believed to be moderate and pro-democracy. However their stance against Assad, who is backed by Russia, has softened as the war has dragged on. A spokesperson from the UK Foreign Office told World Watch Monitor on 8 June that the UK is committed to using diplomatic means to "achieve a political settlement that ... provides stability for all Syrians and the wider region", adding: "There needs to be a transition to a new, inclusive, non-sectarian government that can protect the rights of all Syrians and unite the country." "I speak to you as a Muslim. Go back to your country and tell your country not to worry about us Muslims, but tell your country to worry about the Christians, because if your country gets rid of Assad and militants win this conflict, Christians will be destroyed in Syria. And Syria will be destroyed. And next will be Europe." Although Assad's record on human rights has been widely criticised, he is seen as a defender of the country's non-Sunni minorities, including the various Christian communities, who were believed to make up ten per cent of Syria's population before the start of the civil war. However speakers took issue with binary portrayals of the war as pro-democracy Islamists versus pro-Assad minorities, noting that some Sunnis remained committed to their Christian neighbours, while Christians are not unanimous in their support for Assad. Rev. Ashdown cited examples of Muslims defending Christians and showed the audience a slide of him with a group of fighters from Hezbollah, the Lebanese Shia group backed by Iran, who had protected a monastery while it was near the frontline with IS. He said they told him: "We will give our lives to protect the Christians in Syria, because without the Christians in this land, Syria will not be Syria." "Many Muslims are appalled by what is done in the name of Islam by extremist groups," he continued. "Our support for the militant extremists has contributed to the length of violence and the extent of the conflict." He showed a slide of a fifth-century church from the town of Maaloula, which had been a seat of Christian learning before the war. He said the church was "smashed and desecrated by the rebels that our government supports". Although the church has been restored, he said its ancient icons have been stolen. Rev. Ashdown later clarified to World Watch Monitor that residents told him the attackers operated together and included the Free Syrian Army, which has received backing from the US, the Al Farouq Brigades, Jabhat al-Nusra, Jaish al-Islam, Ahrar al-Sham, Jabhat Islamiyya, Jathat Tahreer al-Qalamoun, and Ahfad al-Rasoul. Rev. Ashdown described the rebel forces who have held parts of Damascus, including the suburb of Eastern Ghouta, as "extremist militant fighters" who were being supported by the West, and said there had been shelling on both sides. "The Christian quarter has been a particular target, with churches and schools regularly being targeted, and shelling often being timed when schools were coming out and the streets were at their busiest," he said, adding that 11,000 civilians have been killed in central Damascus since the start of the war, and that 2,500 of them were children. Baroness Cox said Syrian support for Assad had increased in the face of religious extremism but summed up the dilemma of Syrians who do not side with the Islamists. She quoted a woman in an internally displaced people (IDP) camp in Latakia who had fled Islamist terrorists. The woman told her that her husband and 25-year-old son were captured and killed as they tried to flee, adding: "We die from shellings on both sides, but on one side we die from shellings, and on the other we die from shellings and beheadings, and we don't want the beheadings." Dr. Nazir-Ali said he deplored "all" the violence -- whether committed by Assad or the groups trying to overthrow him. He called for a transitional administration to arrange for elections under international supervision. He warned that a violent overthrow of the regime by Islamist forces could be disastrous for minorities such as Christians, as occurred in parts of Iraq overrun by Shia and Sunni militias. "The vast majority of Syrians do not want an Islamist regime. A Salafi state ... would put an end to Syria's rich tapestry, which would be as great a tragedy as has happened to its neighbour, Iraq," he warned. Religious-freedom charities Open Doors International and Middle East Concern are campaigning for Christians in Iraq and Syria to be guaranteed equal citizenship, dignified living conditions and a prominent role in reconciling and rebuilding society.Jordan Richards top scored for Australia but there were heroes all over the court in green and gold as a difficult weekend for the Volleyroos finished on a wonderful high as red-hot Germany were seen off in a thrilling five set classic 3-2 (25-22 18-25 17-25 25-18 15-11).The Germans have loved the Canadian leg of their VNL campaign and came into the match with the Aussies aiming for a clean sweep over the weekend following great wins over the USA and the hosts on Saturday night.Its been four years since a Germany side won four on the spin and with another chance to surge up the table and move closer into contention for a place in the finals later this month, there was plenty on the line for Andrea Gianis side.At the end of a rollercoaster VNL afternoon at TD place, however, it was the battling Aussies who bagged their first win of the weekend and just their second of the campaign.And how they deserved it. This was Germanys first five-setter since losing 3-2 to Montenegro in 2016 - a long 23 games ago and although it was a rollercoaster match which had the Ottawa fans on the edge of their seats, that wont ease the pain for Giani who will rue his sides fifth, and most dramatic, NL defeat.The Aussies have shown in patches they belong in amongst the very best - they just need to work on consistency and keep their form in check for the whole match.That was true once again for large patches of this clash as Richards (15 spikes, a block and an ace) and Thomas Hodges (10 points) posed plenty of questions for the Europeans to answer, especially in the first set which saw some supreme play from Australia.While Hodges led the way with some fearsome attacking play, it was the defensive nature of Mark Lebedews side which helped them steal into the lead. Beau Graham in particular was impressive at the net - a brilliant block at 16-13 helped set the stall for his team-mates to finish the job.That shock however stunned Germany into life and with Reichert (nine spikes, two blocks and four aces) and top scorer Christian Fromm (18 spikes, two blocks and an ace) once more providing the power, Giani saw his men deservedly draw level and even though Hodges was unleashing some fearsome spikes, it wasnt enough.Germanys serve - they finished with 11 aces to Australias four although making a massive 40 errors certainly didnt help - was right on point and the third went their way with Reichert blocking superbly.You would have thought that was the end - but its just not in the sporting psyche of Australians to give in. The fourth set was pocketed and at the of a rip-roaring tie-break, it was the boys from Down Under who were over the moon.Poland are plenty big and they're proving plenty hard to beat, too, adding to their FIVB Volleyball Nations League win tally on Sunday with a 3-1 (25-21, 24-26, 25-18, 25-19) result over Italy that saw Dawid Konarski's 18 points top an all-round team effort.While the Poles moved their record to 8-1 and have found many ways to score across three rounds of the VNL so far, their defence has been outstanding. Veteran opposite spiker Konarski put the flourishes on the points table but the hard work he also put in fending off the Bulgarians was super impressive.He combined with powerhouse middle blocker Piotr Nowakowski (eight points) at the net for a combined seven blocks and Poland's 12 in total double their opponents'.The reigning world champions are proving some unit and the fact that the VNL is the 21-year-old wing spiker Bartosz Kwolek's first tour with the Polish team shows that fans can expect more improvement to come as we turn towards the business end of the tournament.Bulgaria have toiled long and hard across their three matches in Japan, beatings the hosts and taking a set off - but losing to - both Italy and now Poland. Wing spiker Rozalin Penchev was gallant in defeat and more than matched it at the net with the Polish tall timber but overall his team were outmatched.Bulgaria (3-6) leave Japan and head home to Varna where they will line-up against France, Canada and Brazil from June 15. They'll be hoping that home support will help them find more consistency and allow them to take a few more wins away from the VNL.For the reigning world champions, though, things could hardly seem brighter. Poland are on 8-1, riding high at the top of the table - and will no doubt be looking forward to a trip to Chicago where they'll line up from the 15th against Iran, and also powerhouses Serbia and the United States.The South West Nuclear Hub, based at the University of Bristol, has welcomed two new members: the University of the West of England (UWE) and Cavendish Nuclear.

The Hub, which opened in September 2016, brings together academia, industry and the whole of the nuclear supply chain to act as the focal point for the regional nuclear community and address technical challenges faced by the industry. The Hub will play an ever more important role as the construction and development of Hinkley Point C in North Somerset gathers pace.

Professor David Knowles, Co-Director of the South West Nuclear Hub said: Having a key player from the nuclear supply chain and a major local University join the SW Nuclear Hub continues to broaden both our expertise and engagement with the industry, particularly as the new build programme gains momentum.

The new members bring a varied skill set which will lead both to diverse areas of innovation and real impact in the sector at a national level.

Dr John Lanham, Assistant Vice-Chancellor and Director of Strategic Regional Partnerships at UWE said: I am delighted that UWE has built on its relationship and collaboration with the University of Bristol and joined the South West Nuclear Hub. The nuclear sector is a significant regional, national and international industry that offers a range of challenges and opportunities beyond the obvious technologies relating directly to reactor systems.

At UWE Bristol we are excited to bring the expertise of our staff and research teams to complement the capability of the existing hub members.

The working relationship between the University of Bristol and UWE includes the Bristol Robotics Laboratory, which is situated on the principal UWE site in north Bristol. Professor Tony Pipe, Deputy Director of BRL, said: "Membership of the Hub will be pivotal in enabling the research staff in the Bristol Robotics Laboratory to strengthen their substantial activities in helping to transform levels of intelligent automation in the decommissioning sector and deepen it to include new-build and existing asset maintenance."

Cavendish Nuclear is engaged on the majority of licensed nuclear sites in the UK, from the construction of new nuclear power plant through to the lifetime extensions of the existing fleet and the decommissioning of redundant sites such as Dounreay and remediation of historic facilities in places such as Sellafield.

Mark Dearden, Engineering and Assurance Director for Cavendish Nuclear, said: Cavendish Nuclear brings the widest portfolio of work of any supplier in the UK and Im looking forward to developing a partnership that will help transform the industry and make a significant contribution to the UK Governments industrial strategy.The newly installed officers of the Chattanooga Chapter of the Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge - photo by Dennis Norwood

Gene Pike raises his hand to accept the office of Co-President - photo by Dennis Norwood

Judge Clarence Shattuck speaks during the installation of officers - photo by Dennis Norwood

Youth Leadership Summit attendees Tanaisha Montgomery, left, and Sandy Chen relate their experiences from the event. - photo by Dennis Norwood

Sitting around the tables at any Sunday afternoon meeting of the Chattanooga Chapter of the Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge is a living history lesson. The members of this civic organization represent our Greatest Generation in a prolific manner.

As the group gathered at the Ruritan Club facility on Highway 58 for their annual installation of officers, it was like time travelling to Omaha Beach, The Battle of the Bulge and the skies over Germany.

Ralph Painter, a 96-year-old veteran of the Normandy Invasion and The Battle of the Bulge and Richard Edgerton, a P-51 reconnaissance pilot who joined the Army Air Corps just after Japans attack on Pearl Harbor, reminded us all of why we enjoy the freedoms we have today.

These men, and others like them, exemplify the core values and principles of the organization:

Educate  About American Rights and Responsibilities

 Democracy depends on an active citizenry, informed about our revolutionary constitutional heritage and free enterprise system

 Hands-on and experiential learning form the core of our educational approach

 Honor  Acts of Civic Virtue

Honoring community service and those who give selflessly strengthens civic society

 Recognizing those who promote the principles and values of a free society ensures a future of freedom

 Challenge  Reject Apathy and Get Involved

 Participating in community while respecting the rights and beliefs of others strengthens freedom for all

 Freedom to choose carries with it the responsibility for our choices

Further evidence of the role the Freedoms Foundation plays was found in listening to two of the local students the club had sent to the 2018 Spirit of America Youth Leadership Summit in Philadelphia.

Tanaisha Montgomery and Sandy Chen, both of Red Bank High School, were among six students the local chapter sponsored earlier this year.

According to Miss Montgomery, It was a bit nerve wracking, but learning about the Constitution solidified my patriotism for my country.

Miss Chen said, The experience defined, for me, what freedom is. Its not just a word. She added, The experience was really, really enjoyable. Both young ladies expressed their thanks to the group for the opportunity to attend the summit.

The chapter works throughout the year to raise the funds to fly attendees to Philadelphia and to provide hotel accommodations and per diem for their stay. Attendees are from local schools in the Hamilton County and North Georgia areas and are selected on the basis of written essays.

Judge Clarence Shattuck was the installing officer and remarked that there were those who, if not held in check, would erode or lessen our freedoms. He continued, I still believe in our Constitution and Bill of Rights.

As he installed the incoming chapter officers, he read from a preamble to the responsibilities of each about to be installed:

Freedom and Responsibility are mutual and inseparable. We can ensure the Enjoyment of one by exercising the other. Freedom for all of us depends on responsibility. To secure and expand our liberties and fully carry out the Mission of Freedoms Foundation at valley Forge each of you must accept and agree to accept the responsibility to help educate, inspire and preserve the ideals upon which the United States was founded.

Upon accepting his installation to the office of Co-President, Gene Pike reminded the chapter that we know whats been given for our freedoms in the past.

Todays generation has been given their freedoms on a silver platter, he continued. He concluded, It is up to us to educate and instill what freedom means.

The officers installed were: Gene and Stephen Pike, Co-Presidents; Larry Henry, 1st Vice President; Patsy Henry, VP Membership; Linda Mines, VP Education; Earl Freudenberg, VP Public Relations; Steve Highlander and Charlotte Ellington, Co-VPs Youth; Robbie and Dean Morehouse, Co-VPs Awards; Gail Pike, VP Hospitality; Lea Pike, Recording Secretary; Jim McKinney and Jeanne Abbott, Co-Corresponding Secretaries; Valerie Rutledge, Treasurer; Jeff Scott, Past President; and, Bettye Parker, Parliamentarian.

The meeting concluded with Geraldine Charton leading the group in a rousing chorus of God Bless America.

More information about the organization can be found at www.freedomsfoundation.org . Locally, requests for information may be sent to Chattanooga Chapter, FFVF, P.O. Box 21443, Chattanooga, TN 37424-0443.

(Contact Dennis Norwood at sportsshooter614@gmail.com; follow him on Twitter at @DennisENorwood)Three young men from the East Brainerd and the North Georgia area earned and received the high honors of Eagle Scout. Blake DeLay of Ringgold and Quinn Denton and Callan Richardson of Chattanooga performed hours of service to better the community.

Blake, son of Hardy and Ramona DeLay, chose as his eagle project to work with the Catoosa County fire department and the Red Cross, to install smoke alarms to those in need. Blake said that his favorite part of the project was "being able to see how many people now have fire alarms and they now have a higher chance of surviving if a house fire does occur." He also stated that the reason he chose this project was because it is really important to me that people are safe if a house fire occurs since my grandparents home burned and, if it were not for their dog, they would have died."

Quinn, son of Doug and Tasha Denton, chose to build "Buddy Benches" for Westview Elementary School. A "Buddy Bench" is a bench on a playground where kids can sit if they dont have anyone to play with and, ideally, another student sees them and asks them to play with them. It can also be used as a place to meet up with friends at recess that are in different classes. Quinn saw a news-clip about how a school in another state was using "Buddy Benches" and decided to ask the principal at Westview if he could build some. He thought they would be a good addition to the school. He said, "I didnt know how to build a bench before. So it was fun to learn how to do that." He also learned how to organize an activity and that it is important to have a plan when leading a project. Quinn also enjoyed being a part of the morning announcements at Westview Elementary so that he could explain what the "Buddy Benches" were to the students. His younger siblings that attend the school have seen kids use them at recess.

Callan, son of Tim and Tanya Richardson, acted on a need from a scout leader. The challenge was to clear and clean up an old forgotten cemetery. The cleanup will benefit local families that have ancestors buried there, by allowing them to safely visit the graves. Callan said his favorite part of the project was all the support and physical help that people were willing to provide. Over 40 people came to clear underbrush. Callan learned from this experience how challenging it is to coordinate several different projects simultaneously and plan enough lead time to schedule workers/volunteers for certain portions of the overall project. But he was glad he did it and was able to help the community.

Blake, Quinn and Callan are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Boy Scout Troop 3, Brainerd ward. Doug Denton served as scout master. Their court of honor was held at the LDS chapel at 3067 Ooltewah Ringgold Road.





Patriotism at The Post is adding chalk art to the 2018 festivities for the first time.

Twenty-eighteen marks the 12th year for this event and we were looking to add something new that folks would be excited to see, said committee member Chris McKeever. All artists, professional and amateur, adults, students and kids are invited to celebrate our patriotic holiday by creating chalk art for all to see.

Georgia Chalk Artist Guild co-founders, Zach Herndon, his wife Jessi Queen and guild member Meg Mitchell, will travel from Atlanta to participate and share their love and knowledge of chalk art while creating original art for all to see. Mr. Herndon and Ms. Queen founded the guild in 2014 to help promote street painting in Georgia. Ms. Mitchell has already shown her work locally as she was the featured artist at the Thriving Community Interactive Art Walk on March 18 at Gilbert-Stephenson Park.

Each artist will have a 6 x 6 square to work with. Those wanting to compete for prizes must register at the information table. A basic palette of chalk will be available at no charge. Artists are encouraged to bring their own chalk and equipment to use. Community space and chalk will be available for anyone who just wants to be a part of all the fun.

Judging will take place at 8 p.m., with the winners announced and awards presented before the fireworks show.

For more information contact chris@6thcavalrymuseum.com or call 706-861-2860.

The 3rd Annual Unwine in Style event is set for July 14 at Spot Venue at 3214 Brainerd Road. Doors will open at 6 p.m. and the show starts at 6:30 p.m.

This event gives local fashion designers a platform to present their fashion to the community. It also gives local beauty businesses a platform to get their business name out to the community.



There will be three local fashion designers presenting their work at this Unwine in Style. They will be Christian Allana, Jacquise Simone and Minique Murphy.

The event will include appetizers, an open bar, live music, and a DJ.

Guests should wear cocktail attire - ladies in blush or gold and men in khaki or white.

Tickets are $30 and available at eventbrite.



The BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee Health Foundation will endow $10,000 in scholarship funds toward the nursing program at WGU Tennessee, the state-endorsed, nonprofit online university launched nearly five years ago as part of Gov. Bill Haslams Drive to 55 initiative.Its important for us to be part of increasing the number of highly trained nurses providing excellent care to our neighbors across Tennessee, said Karen Ward, senior vice president and chief human resources officer for BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee and WGU Tennessee advisory board member.We see this scholarship as a way to make sure more Tennessee nurses have the opportunity to benefit from a great education.WGU Tennessee will match the donation, immediately creating $2,000 scholarships for 10 new students.Were grateful for the support of business leaders like BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee, said Kimberly K. Estep, Ph.D., chancellor of WGU Tennessee. Increasing the higher-educational opportunities available to adult students is vital to the development of a strong, skills-ready Tennessee workforce, which is what these scholarships are all about. This generous donation by the BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee Health Foundation will pay dividends for our states economic future.WGU Tennessee was launched in 2013 through a partnership between the state of Tennessee and nationally recognized Western Governors University. The online, fully accredited university has enrolled more than 4,000 students in less than five years.The announcement comes on the heels of the news that Western Governors University has launched WGU Advancement, a nonprofit fundraising organization dedicated to increasing scholarship availability through partnerships with foundations, corporations, associations and individual donors. The nonprofit aims to provide more scholarships and opportunities for working adults to continue their educations and advance their careers. WGU Tennessee has given more than $1.5 million in scholarships to Tennesseans since launching in 2013. Those interested in learning more can visit tennessee.wgu.eduA Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson on Monday expressed hope that the Group of Seven (G7) will follow the trend of the times and play a constructive role for peace, security and common development.

"The members of the G7 are important developed countries. We hope that their cooperation can follow the trend of the times and the member states can shoulder their due responsibilities, make contributions, and play a constructive role in safeguarding international peace and security, and promoting common development of all countries," spokesperson Geng Shuang said at a daily press briefing.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang [Photo: fmprc.gov.cn]

Geng's remarks came after media reports contrasting the rift of the G7 summit with the success of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Qingdao summit.

China continues to maintain that countries should develop ties based on principles including mutual respect, equality, and non-interferences in internal affairs, and that multilateral cooperation should be open, inclusive, and not targeting any third party, Geng said.

China is committed to fostering a new type of international relations featuring mutual respect, fairness, justice, and win-win cooperation, and building a community with a shared future for humanity, he said, adding that the holding of a series of large-scale international conferences including the SCO Qingdao summit was part of the efforts toward this.

In this photo made available by the German Federal Government, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, center, speaks with U.S. President Donald Trump, seated at right, during the G7 Leaders Summit in La Malbaie, Quebec, Canada, on Saturday, June 9, 2018. [Photo: AP]

Geng said China is willing to continue working with the international community including the G7 members toward this goal.

The G7 includes the seven leading industrialized countries, namely Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States.Judicial Watch Statement on Supreme Court Decision Upholding Ohio Efforts to Maintain Clean Voter Rolls Contact: Jill Farrell, Judicial Watch, 202-646-5188



WASHINGTON, June 11, 2018 /Christian Newswire/ -- Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton hailed today's Supreme Court decision upholding efforts by Ohio, which are part of an historic settlement with Judicial Watch, to maintain accurate voting rolls. Fitton noted: This is a clear victory for the citizens of Ohio and America who want clean and fair elections. Dirty voting rolls can mean dirty elections. Today's Supreme Court decision should send a signal to other states to take reasonable steps to make sure that voters who died or moved away no longer remain on their voter rolls. Leftists opposed to election integrity suffered a big defeat today. Frankly, this and their other assaults on clean election measures suggest the organized left and their politician allies want to be able to steal elections if necessary. This is also a big institutional win for Judicial Watch, because it means that our current settlement agreement with Ohio... Read more...



Share TweetCA Bill Assaults Foster Children

AB 2119 mandates that foster children with gender dysphoria can only be treated with puberty blocking drugs, "sex change" operations and counseling that affirms their gender confusion. The bill specifically prohibits any individual from "subjecting a foster child or non-minor dependent to any treatment, intervention, or conduct that seeks to change the foster child's or non-minor dependent's gender identity."

The bill would, upon the request of a child or nonminor dependent, or his or her caregiver, attorney, court appointed special advocate, or social worker, require the county child welfare agency to ensure that the child or nonminor dependent has access to gender affirming health care and gender affirming behavioral health services, which are defined to mean health care or behavioral health services that respect the gender identity of the patient, as specified.

Therefore, according to AB 2119, no counselor, parent, foster parent or social worker can tell a confused little boy that he is a boy, or a confused little girl that she is a girl.

Medical research has verified that gender dysphoria is a psychological issue and puberty blockers and "sex reassignment" surgery are not the answer. In fact, a staggering 41 percent of "transgender" people in the United States have attempted to commit suicide which is more than 25 times the rate of the general population. Among "transgender" people ages 18-44, the suicide attempt rate is 45 percent, according to a 2010 survey conducted by the National Center for Transgender Equality and the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force.

"California bill AB 2119 is nothing short of state sanctioned medical experimentation on the most vulnerable children," said Mat Staver, Founder and Chairman of Liberty Counsel. "Foster children are already struggling with crises in their young lives, and engaging in what medical professionals have called child abuse only increases the trauma. These children need love and compassion, not pills and surgery. This dangerous law should be rejected," said Staver.

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.

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!Uh-oh! It could be you, or it could be us, but there's no page here.Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 11)  The nation's largest association of Filipino lawyers on Monday filed a motion for reconsideration asking the Supreme Court to reverse its decision to oust Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno.

The Board of Governors of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) filed the appeal before the Supreme Court, which last month voted to oust Sereno from office through a quo warranto petition.

The Supreme Court justices voted 8-6 in favor of granting the quo warranto petition filed by Solicitor General Jose Calida against Sereno.

According to the IBP, the decision to oust Sereno should have been made by Congress in an impeachment proceeding.

"With due respect, the issue of whether or not Chief Justice Sereno must be ousted from her office is a political question which can only be resolved through the political remedy of impeachment," the IBP said in their motion.

The lawyer's association also argued that the Supreme Court did not have jurisdiction to rule on Sereno's ouster.

"Intervenor IBP respectfully asserts that the Assailed Decision, being an excess of jurisdiction, is necessarily void," said the IBP.

Because of this decision, the IBP said that the Supreme Court has set a dangerous precedent that could be used in future cases.

Even if the Supreme Court had the jurisdiction to rule over Sereno's ouster, the IBP argued that the court erred in determining whether or not Sereno had failed to file all the required Statements of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALNs) for ten years before she was appointed as Chief Justice in 2012.

The IBP said it is not the function of the Supreme Court to "embark on an examination and evaluation of evidence in cases before it." This, the petition added, was a duty of trial courts.

"What is worse, the Honorable Court failed to maintain the cold neutrality of an impartial judge when it engaged in its own evidence-gathering expedition and sought to supplement the evidence already on record," the IBP said in its motion.

Sereno had previously filed a petition for five justices to inhibit in the quo warranto petition citing allege bias against her.

Associate Justices Diosdado Peralta, Lucas Bersamin, Francis Jardeleza, Noel Tijam, and Teresita de Castro, who were cited by Sereno, did not inhibit from her case, and all voted to grant the quo warranto petition.

Meanwhile, the impeachment proceeding against Sereno is still pending at the House of Representatives.

READ: Unseating Sereno: A tale of two oustersMetro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 11)  Vice President Leni Robredo said China's continued encroachment on Philippine territory is the most serious external threat to the country since World War II.

Robredo criticized China's continued militarization of islands in the West Philippine Sea, citing reports the country is now within striking distance of nuclear-ready bombers that China supposedly put up in the Parcel islands in the South China Sea.

She urged the government to act and exhaust all diplomatic actions, and to peacefully protest China's actions in disputed waters.

The Vice President said there is a need to ensure that the country's diplomatic protests contain the strongest possible wording.

This, after recent reports on Chinese coast guard's aggressions against Filipino fishermen.

Some fisherfolk frequenting Scarborough Shoal reported the Chinese coast guard had forcefully taken their catch and fishing equipment on numerous occasions.

"We softened our stance on the West Philippine Sea to avoid conflict. But the conflict that we are scared of is already at our doors. Our fisherfolk are physically restricted with guns, ammunition, ships, and intimidation," Robredo said at a West Philippine Sea forum at the University of the Philippines-Diliman Monday.

She added,"Shouldn't this be the time for us to peacefully protest any effort to limit or control international waters? Many countries would be supportive of such move. Trump and Abe have already issued a joint statement saying that diplomatic efforts should lead to demilitarization of the area."

Robredo also said the country's sovereignty should not be given up over trade and investment deals with China.

She urged Filipinos to be more vigilant and to be more aware of our country's foreign policy.

Also at the event was former Solicitor General Florin Hilbay, who was among the country's lawyers that argued the case against China before a Hague-based international arbitral tribunal.

Hilbay criticized the government's stance on the West Philippine Sea, calling it a "policy of submission."

"Our traditional allies don't see us as a reliable ally anymore. Why? Because of the way we treated the U.S., the EU, even the way we treated Japan," Hilbay said.

He said the country's "wishy washy" approach to diplomacy showed the Philippines was weaker than before.Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 11)  Alleged pork barrel scam mastermind Janet Lim Napoles should not have been placed under provisional witness protection, Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales said Friday.

In an exclusive interview with CNN Philippines' The Source, Morales said former Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre was "out of tune" when he put Napoles under provisional coverage of the government's Witness Protection, Security and Benefit Program.

"That was unfounded on the part of Aguirre. To begin with, it is the Ombudsman who has the final say on who will be indicted," she pointed out.

After Aguirre resigned earlier this year amid public dissatisfaction with his performance, his successor Menardo Guevarra removed Napoles from the program.

"He's fair. He has no integrity issue," Morales said of Guevarra, who was a long-time lawyer of President Rodrigo Duterte.

Napoles faces criminal charges for funnelling some 10 billion in pork barrel funds of some lawmakers, including former Senators Juan Ponce Enrile, Jinggoy Estrada and Bong Revilla, to bogus non-government organizations.

Napoles had hinted she was willing to name more government officials  about 100 congressmen and 20 senators  who were involved in the scam. Her lawyer Stephen David said she was willing to "tell all," but no one was listening.

Solicitor General Jose Calida had agreed that the government should listen to Napoles.

Morales pointed out that there was nothing preventing Napoles from being heard, but said she should have come forward long ago.

"At this point in time, whatever she says would probably be taken with a jaundiced eye, because if she had wanted to say something before against someone, she should have done that years back," the Ombudsman said.

Morales denied that Enrile, Estrada and Revilla were implicated just because they were opposition lawmakers to the previous administration of Former President Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III, who had appointed Morales.

"It was easier for us to pass upon these cases because there was this confession of Napoles," she said. "Independently of that, we had the testimony of [whistleblower Benhur] Luy and we had documentary evidence sourced from Luy and sourced elsewhere."

Morales, who is set to retire in July, expressed fear that her office would not be able to complete the filing of charges on the scam by the time her term ends.

"I am afraid we may not be able to finish all the PDAF (Priority Development Assistance Fund) cases," she said. "[But if we can] between now and July 25, why not?"

Programming note: The Source interview with Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales airs today at 9:00 a.m., with replays at 2:00 and 7:30 p.m.Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 11)  Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales finally admitted Friday that President Rodrigo Duterte hurt her feelings with his tirades against her last year, but said this was just "human nature."

"If you are stoic about it, if you are deadma about it, sira ulo ka [you're crazy]. Of course I was hurt," a candid Morales told CNN Philippines' The Source in an exclusive interview.

The normally fierce lady specifically recalled when Duterte told her "not [to] play God and shut up" in July last year after she criticized comments he made that she believed encouraged killings.

"Goading people to kill other people is, to me, unacceptable. What's wrong with that?" Morales asked. "There was nothing obnoxious [with what I said]. There was nothing that would indict the President in the way they understood it."

Despite the President's harsh words, the Ombudsman at the time only said in a statement that she was "amused by so much ado" about something she did not say.

Morales also recalled a speech Duterte delivered in October, where he said he told her, "You resign now. 'Pag hindi huhubaran kita [or I will expose you]."

Morales denied she took a jab at the President, whose daughter is married to a nephew of the Ombudsman, when she said a great country "[does] not need strongmen" in a speech last May. She had emphasized instead the importance of strong institutions.

The speech was delivered after Time Magazine named Duterte as a rising strongman, a label the President had rejected.

"If it hurt him or hit him, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to, or I didn't intend to hit him," Morales, who was appointed by former President Benigno Aquino, clarified.

Although the two are related by affinity, this had not eased tension between the two officials.

Duterte's allies had threatened Morales with impeachment and she defied a presidential order to suspend a deputy ombudsman who had been involved in an investigation on Duterte's finances.

But Morales considers the strained relations as nothing out of the ordinary.

"It's a normal relationship. He attacks me," she said. "You remember that phrase in Merchant of Venice: 'If you prick me, will I not bleed? If you tickle me, will I not laugh?' That's human nature."

Still, the Ombudsman gave credit to Duterte's fight against corruption. When asked what she thought of his order to boot out corrupt officials, she said, "That's exactly what he's doing."

She noted, however, that Duterte is not even halfway through his term.

"Belief is one thing. Perception is another. Actuality is still another," she stressed.

Morales is due to retire on July 26, and administration critics worry that her post would be used to forward a political agenda.

Duterte had earlier said he would not appoint a woman as Morales' successor, and neither would he consult her on the matter.

The Ombudsman shrugged this off as Duterte's opinion.

"I wish him well, of course," she said. "I wish him well for the good of the Philippines."

Programming note: The Source interview with Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales airs today at 9:00 a.m., with replays at 2:00 and 7:30 p.m.Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 11)  Former Tourism Secretary Wanda Teo is under investigation at the Office of the Ombudsman  along with other fired or resigned government officials accused of corruption.

In an exclusive interview with CNN Philippines' The Source, Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales said her office had begun motu proprio investigations on Teo and other personalities she declined to name.

"I will again get the ire of some people," she said. "[There are] some others. I'm not going to reveal them now. But in the case of Teo, it was so publicly ventilated."

Teo resigned in May in the wake of a controversial 60 million advertising deal between the Tourism Department and a television program run by her brothers, Ben and Erwin Tulfo.

The Office of the Ombudsman previously said it was looking into the case, but did not name Teo specifically.

After her, former Labor Undersecretary Dominador Say also resigned after he was linked to irregular activity. Malacanang said more officials would be fired.

The investigations are included in some 6,000 cases that the Office of the Ombudsman are working. The number is down from a backlog of 19,000 cases Morales inherited in 2011.

Morales said it was unlikely that her office could complete the build-up of cases in the pork barrel fund scam before she retired on July 26.

Ombudsman looking into SolGen deals

The Ombudsman also said a complaint against Solicitor General Jose Calida was still in the fact-finding stage.

"The case is pending I don't like to preempt the result," Morales said.

Calida is under scrutiny for multi-million deals between his private security firm and various government agencies which, he insisted, were all above board.

Morales declined to provide more information, saying the country's top lawyer previously "wanted to implicate [her]" when he accused Overall Deputy Ombudsman Melchor Carandang of a breach of confidentiality.

Carandang was tasked to investigate President Rodrigo Duterte's alleged hidden wealth. He announced last year that he received a report from the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) showing Duterte's bank records amounted to over 1 billion, but the agency denied this.

"Whatever I say now, [Calida] might say I'm taking revenge," said Morales. "He might say... I am trying to hit him back because he hit me."

She also quipped, "I have clippings of all the statements made against me by him."

When asked what she would do with the clippings, she laughed and said, "I have no immediate plans anyway."

The probe against Duterte had since been terminated, but his son and resigned Davao City vice mayor, Paolo, still faces investigation for graft and other crimes in the Ombudsman's office.

Morales had inhibited herself from all cases involving the first family, as her nephew Mans Carpio is married to Presidential daughter and Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte.

The Ombudsman said fighting corruption should still be the government's top concern and urged the public to remain vigilant.

"Let's help this administration eradicate corruption," she said. "If you are cowed by fear and refuse to talk about irregularity or wrongdoing by any public official in conspiracy with a private official, you will get what you deserve."

Programming note: The Source interview with Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales airs today at 9:00 a.m., with replays at 2:00 and 7:30 p.m.Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 11)  Police killed one of their own, an alleged drug lord protector, during an operation in Cebu on Sunday.

Director General Oscar Albayalde, Philippine National Police chief, on Monday said authorities killed Senior Inspector Raymond Hortezuela after he allegedly resisted arrest and fought back during an anti-illegal drug operation in Tipolo, Mandaue City.

Senior Superintendent Romeo Caramat, Counter Intelligence Task Force chief, said Hortezuela was involved in illegal activities in Cebu. He's allegedly among police protectors of slain high-profile drug lord Jeffrey Diaz alias Jaguar, who was killed in a shootout in 2016.

Meanwhile, another policeman was arrested in a buy-bust operation in Pagbilao, Quezon last weekend. Police Officer 1 Hezri Jarder of the Quezon provincial police SWAT was arrested after he fired at policemen attempting to apprehend his live-in partner.

Another policeman, who has existing warrants of arrest for car theft, was apprehended in Tagaytay City. Albayalde wanted to know why PO2 Wilson Regala who has warrants of arrest is still on active duty.

Albayalde said they will continue to rid the police force of erring members.

"Lumalabas na talagang meron pa kaya we will not rest. Kung yung war on drugs natin we will not stop until the last drug pusher, trader or user ay mapakulong natin, we will also not stop in our organization until the last erring policeman will be dismisssed or discharged from the service," he said.(CNN)  A ship carrying more than 600 rescued migrants is stranded in the Mediterranean Sea between Malta and Italy after both countries declined to take its human cargo.

The ship, Aquarius, is operated by Doctors Without Borders (MSF) and the SOS Mediterranee organizations.

Aquarius rescued 629 people Saturday night into Sunday morning  taking on people from two rubber vessels as well as "Italian navy ships, Italian coast guard ships and merchant vessels" in six different operations, MSF and SOS said on Twitter.

The organizations said the boat was located 35 nautical miles from Italy and 27 nautical miles from Malta.

The Italian Maritime Rescue Coordination Center told Aquarius Sunday to "standby in [their] current position," MSF tweeted.

Europe 'minding its own private interest'

Italy's Interior Minister Matteo Salvini wrote on Facebook Sunday morning that Italy was saying "no" to human trafficking.

"In the Mediterranean Sea, there are boats carrying Dutch, Spanish, Gibraltar and British flags. There are NGO's from Spain and Germany, meanwhile there is also Malta that does not welcome anyone.

"There is France too, that refuses and pushes back at their border. There is Spain that protects their own borders with weapons, well, that means all of Europe is minding its own private interest," Salvini wrote.

"Starting today Italy will commence to say NO to human trafficking, NO to the business of clandestine immigration.

"My objective is to guarantee a peaceful life to all these people in Africa and to our children in Italy."

MSF said earlier that Italy had reportedly asked Malta to disembark the rescued migrants there.

Malta: Situation dangerous

However, Malta's Ministry for Home Affairs and National Security has issued a statement saying Malta is not responsible for the rescue effort coordinated by the Aquarius.

Malta's Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said on Twitter that he had taken a call from his Italian counterpart Giuseppe Conte to discuss the issue.

"Malta is in full conformity with international obligations & will not take the vessel in its ports. We will continue,where possible, carrying out individual&humanitarian emergency medical evacuations," Muscat tweeted.

In a separate tweet he added: "We are concerned at #Italy authorities' directions given to #Acquarius on high seas. They manifestly go against international rules, and risk creating a dangerous situation for all those involved."

On Twitter, MSF expressed concern that "again politics are being placed above people's lives.

"The priority must be the importance of the well being & safety of the people on board," it said. MSF project coordinator Aloys Vimard told journalist Anelise Borges that the ship had enough food and water for two to three days.

The United Nations refugee agency, the UNHCR, said on Twitter that the situation needed a quick resolution.

"States and actors involved should rapidly find solutions to allow migrants and refugees on board the #Aquarius to disembark safely and quickly. Hundreds of people urgently need assistance, slowing down operations puts their well being at risk," it said.

MSF said there were 123 unaccompanied minors, 11 children, and seven pregnant women among the migrants on board the Aquarius.

It earlier described the ship heading towards the Search and Rescue zone (SAR) off the coast of Libya after reports of multiple smaller vessels in distress.

Deadly crossing

Since the height of the crisis in 2015, governments across Europe have sought to fortify their countries' borders. In February 2017, EU leaders outlined plans to stem the flow of migrants traveling across the Mediterranean from Libya to Italy, and boost the ability of the EU to send people back.

But with 3,116 deaths in 2017, the Mediterranean remained the deadliest migrant route in the world last year, despite a sharp fall in attempted crossings, according to International Organization for Migration (IOM). It said just under 70% of the 171,635 migrants who entered Europe by sea had arrived in Italy.

As of June 6, there had been an estimated 785 deaths on the route this year, the IOM said,with the majority of the 33,400 migrants and refugees arriving through Greece and Italy.

This story was first published on CNN.com, "629 migrants stuck on ship at sea after Italy, Malta refuse them."(CNN)  France and Germany have criticized President Donald Trump for threatening to pull the United States out of a joint statement with key G7 allies.

Trump tweeted Saturday that he had instructed his representatives not to sign a communique between the seven nations that make up the group just after host Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced all countries had agreed to it.

Key to Trump's concerns appeared to be declarations on trade, a thorny issue following Trump's announcement that he planned to impose tariffs on steel and aluminum exports from the European Union, Canada and Mexico.

France's Elysee Palace said Sunday that the country and Europe as a whole maintained their support for the communique.

"International cooperation can't depend on anger and small words. Let's be serious and worthy of our people. We spent two days obtaining a draft and commitments. We stick to it. And anyone who leaves and turns their back on them shows their inconsistency," the palace said.

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas on Sunday called on European nations to stick together following Trump's announcement.

"It's actually not a real surprise, we have seen this with the climate agreement or the Iran deal. In a matter of seconds, you can destroy trust with 280 Twitter characters. To build that up again will take much longer," he told reporters in Berlin.

He called on G7 members to "keep a cool head" and consider consequences.

"One will be that we will have to represent our interests in Europe as much more closed from the outside. We will also definitely go into talks with our ... partners, especially Canada and Japan, and again see how we could work closer together. I would then next travel to Japan or try to set up talks with my Canadian colleagues very quickly."

The G7 is made up of Canada, France, the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Japan and Italy.

The communique addresses trade, economic growth, national security and sustainability, and acknowledges that "free, fair and mutually beneficial trade and investment, while creating reciprocal benefits, are key engines for growth and job creation."

Trump has long argued that the U.S. is trapped in a number of trade deals that put the country at a competitive disadvantage.

The announcement and Trump's planned tariffs have also put him on a collision course with Trudeau, leader of another key U.S. ally.

Trudeau said Saturday during a news conference that Canada will "move forward with retaliatory measures" on July 1 in response to the Trump administration's decision to impose the steel and aluminum tariffs.

"I have made it very clear to the President that it is not something we relish doing, but it something that we absolutely will do," Trudeau said. "Canadians, we're polite, we're reasonable, but we also will not be pushed around."

Trump dismissed Trudeau's comments as "false statements" before announcing the U.S. would withdraw from the communique.

The U.S. President addressed the subject of international trade during an impromptu news conference at the summit on Saturday, saying that he did not want to see other countries take advantage of the U.S. over trade.

"It's going to change," he said. "Tariffs will come way down. We're like the piggy bank that everybody is robbing and that ends."Im back with more excellent news for women in STEM. Why do I keep posting about this topic? Well, its an important one  theres still a huge gender gap that studies show is going to take a long time to fix. That gap is due to many reasons, of course, but among them are the state of the support women in these fields receive, and the fulfillment they get from pursing careers in these industries.

This weekend, Women in Technology International (WITI) began its 24th annual Women in Technology Summit in San Jose, California. The three-day summit focuses on some of the most successful women in technology and science today, as well as on those who are just getting started and those looking to take the next step in their career. According to WITI, this years summit includes three days of networking, mentoring and engaging with visionaries working in the hottest technologies, including autonomous vehicles, AI, AR/VR, robotics, space exploration, SmartX and blockchain.

This long-running summit seeks to put a spotlight some of the most important issues, questions, and concerns that exist for women in STEM today; it also seeks to foster mentorship, communication, and positive movement toward better workplace integration, innovation, cooperation, and much more. Helping women enter, stay in, and achieve success in STEM requires everyone  women and men, this generation and the ones that came before and will come after it  working together with these common goals. You can check out highlights from last years summit here.

Passes for those interested are still available; I want to draw special attention to the fact that Career Fair passes are FREE until June 12. (The Career Fair will take place June 12 from 10:30-12:30.)

But for those simply interested in learning more about this vital topic, Ive got something special for you:

I had the chance to speak with Dr. Ioana Cozmuta, an innovative woman scientist and entrepreneur, a disruptor as she likes to characterize herself, fearless and driven by an insatiable curiosity and appetite to learn. Dr. Cozmuta has an extensive background in science, engineering, and business. She earned her Ph.D. in physics from University of Groningen, The Netherlands, and her masters of biophysics and medical physics from University Babes Bolyai, Cluj Napoca, Romania. Her experience includes time as a research postdoctoral fellow in the Material and Process Simulation Center, Department of Chemistry at California Institute of Technology, and a research postdoctoral specialist at the Genome Technology Center, School of Medicine at Stanford University. As a past contractor with NASA, shes worked on projects that range from the Stardust, Mars Science Laboratory, and the Constellation and Orion missions to the Microgravity and Low Earth Orbit Commercialization and Commercial Space Partnerships programs. Currently she is co-founder and CTO of Flawless Photonics.

This Monday, June 11, she will moderate a panel at the summit titled Fly Me to the Moon: Suborbital Space = The Jump Point for Space Exploration. The panels title is an invitation to an imaginary journey into the exciting developments of the emerging New Space ecosystem and, along the way, into the challenges and opportunities that it offers. As Old Space and New Space learn to work with and leverage each other, the meaning of being a successful player has also expanded beyond traditional aerospace engineering. And being a women in this field simply adds to the complexity.

On women in technology

Ioana is a staunch advocate for women in STEM  fields that are traditionally, like many others, male dominated. As both a woman in STEM and the mother of two girls, she is looking forward to this weekends summit as an opportunity for women to discuss the issues they have experienced and continue to face in the field of technology.

With the world developing technology at a very accelerated pace, I think this becomes a very important topic. I really like the [summit] agenda because it is actually very pragmatic  it covers real, tangible, and very important problems such as effective communication, confidence building, good leadership practices, emotional development, all intermingled with hot technology topics (AI, space), she says.

She brought up a recent study she had read, which noted that men and women are often evaluated differently in the workplace. The study looked at the positive and negative words managers used during performance evaluations, and found two important results: First, managers used more positive words to evaluate men than negative ones, while women were evaluated with more negative words than positive ones. And, perhaps more importantly, many of the negative words used to evaluate women highlighted traits  such as personal drive and even good team and time management skills  seen as positive in men. For example, a man who managed a team toward accomplishing goals on time was seen as a model employee; a woman who did the same might be seen as militant or even bossy. (For those curious, heres the article she mentioned: The Different Words We Use to Describe Male and Female Leaders)

Women are dealing with a huge perception and status quo that needs to be shaken and disrupted, Ioana says. I have two girls, and I want them to experience less of this kind of work environment.

The problem, she stresses, is deep-rooted and occurs on both sides of the equation. There are extremely good performers on both sides, she says. But What needs to be changed is that [men and women] should be evaluated with the proper units based on meritocracy, based on the real contributions a person makes, the tangible things they deliver  not on perception and biased interpretation. What needs to change first is the baseline: The evaluation process should come from a position of equanimity, nobody is superior to anybody else. A healthy team environment in my opinion is based on mutual respect and not on fear, open communication and feedback between members. Everybody is here to learn.

On fostering communication

Eliminating perceptions is vital to helping women succeed and better integrate into the STEM fields. But theres more to the story. Ioana is not only an advocate of reducing bias between men and women, she is also an advocate of fostering communication and cooperation between the STEM disciplines  eliminating the perceptions that exist between fields as well.

Of her extensive work as a contractor with NASA, she admits, I ended up there by complete chance when a project she was working on at Stanford was co-sponsored by the space agency. Through that project, she ended up moving into NASA and the aerospace industry completely unprepared.

But, it seems, that unpreparedness gave her some unique insight into the limitations  and potential solutions  with the way space missions are planned, designed, and executed.

Working at NASA, Ioana says, was inspiring, and [NASA] has inspired so many generations  its brand continues to carry weight and resonance. I think theres no human being on this planet that isnt inspired by NASAs mission statement  it is the most beautiful culmination of our own desires as humans to break the mundane, to dream beyond, to continue to challenge ourselves by to understand the music of the spheres and what it means to be part of it, as a species with unique insights into intelligence and yet such a small and insignificant pixel on the map of the universe.

But the system, she says, needs work. In order for space exploration to succeed, you have to go beyond the current terrestrial state of the art at every single level: technical, implementation, execution, way of thinking. The default attitude of those working in the space program should be the constant questioning of the status quo, even of the obvious! That includes, she says, the way we design spacecraft, the way we launch into space, the way we communicate, and the way we learn how to survive and potentially live in space. One must have the ability to immerse oneself in the most counterintuitive circumstances and solve problems (e.g., lack of gravity).

Within NASA, the science missions are competitive, and thats good, she says, for achieving the level necessary to succeed (see this article for more). But the human spaceflight programs, she says, are less so, particularly in terms of design. Some of the engineering models are from the Apollo era, even in 2005, in 2010. And the incentive system revolves too much around terrestrial facilities and workforce.

How can we change that? she asks. How can we take the best of science knowledge and put it to good use to help solve real problems in engineering? Essentially, she says, this requires scientists and engineers to openly and continuously work together, voicing concerns and limitations on one end and allowing the other side to develop solutions that boost the entire project to the next level.

My background and my training is as a scientist, but a very pragmatic one. When I started to work on engineering projects  Stardust, Mars Science Laboratory, Orion, Constellation, et cetera  I felt immersed in this sea of engineers and quickly learned that they not only have different ways of approaching a problem (top down vs. bottom up), but that this difference creates an incorrect perception between scientists and engineers that they dont really need each other, which leads to a gap in communication and interaction. Engineers, she says, tend to think little of the scientists approach to problem solving, while scientists might bemoan the way engineers are entirely concerned with design without trying to specifically marry the science goals to their engineering goals.

Theres a big communication gap between science and engineering. And you need to find people  not only with the right technical background, but more so with the right mentality  to merge and communicate new scientific concepts and put it to good engineering use. But in order for that to happen, you need to have that open channel of communication for both sides. The system itself needs to shift from conservatism and the argument of heritage design and allow itself to explore new pathways, she says.

I always focus on the outcome. But that is only in part what is needed to succeed. I didnt do it all by myself, Ioana stresses. I worked with many other like-minded people and had the right management support. Finding such settings, though, is a big challenge. Its a big boulder to move. But it needs to be done.

On inspiration

I asked, as I often do, what inspired Ioana to choose a career in STEM. She started by saying that her family is largely involved with the humanities, and as a young girl she assumed she would follow the same path.

But then, in 6th grade, What inspired me was a teacher. She instilled this love for physics in me. I dont know how she did it. It is hard to explain the power and impact that great teachers and mentors have. Moving into high school, I got lucky again  this time, my homeroom teacher  he made physics sound so simple and phenomenally exciting that it was impossible not to learn it. It became a stronger passion than I had for literature and philosophy.

Her family was also supportive of the values and traits that make a good scientist. My father would often talk to me about the universe and life, about our meaning and significance in this world and all those conversations did nothing else than stir my curiosity, she says. Later, I realized that by following a scientific career, it doesnt mean that I have to stop being passionate about philosophy because there is philosophy in science and science in philosophy. And that extends beyond, into art and literature. In my opinion, they are all a manifestations of the simple and pure act of creation.

On achieving goals

Finally, we spoke about the choices that have led Ioana to her position today, and the advice she might give to young girls starting to think about their place in the world, whether they are looking to STEM or other fields.

I feel that right now society equates the value of a person with the position or the title that they have. I struggle with that, Ioana says. To me, its not the title or the position that decides and defines who a person is. Its the person who holds that position, and what they do in that position, that makes that position meaningful or not. 

It certainly comes back to the idea that people  men and women  deserve to be valued based on merit, rather than gender or any other type of rubric.

And when considering which path to follow, Cozmuta says that In the end, try to find something that makes you happy. If youre happy, then people around you are happy. I dont think people just simply want jobs. They want jobs that make them feel meaningful, empowered, and self-motivated. I look back at myself and I still cant say what career path I should have followed. What I did is I followed my heart, my curiosity, and the set of values and beliefs that I hold very dear. Every time I forgot to sync, I ended up feeling miserable.

It boils down to finding the purpose of your life, she says. In my opinion, that is for everyone to fulfill their own potential (not to be mistaken with ego!) and balance it out with helping others along the way. Let your mind and your heart work together in guiding you.

Her ultimate message is one of paying it forward. By rising above experiences that may have affected you negatively, you have the power to change the status quo and improve the system and the outlook for yourself and those who come after you.

Dont do to others what you dont like yourself, Cozmuta says. It can be very hard to come into the space industry as a woman and deal with the status quo. But by being overly focused on yourself, you may actually hurt other women in the field who feel the same way and are trying to accomplish the same goals. Be open and embrace diversity. Give others the help they need, even if you didnt receive that help yourself.

And, she says, the only way to address these challenges is to take action, rather than accepting the status quo and its limitations. If something bothers you, take a moment and think about going out and changing it. You are never too old to do it!Videos

Sorry, there are no recent results for popular videos.This email was sent from the OGCIO account to a legal officer at the TRR roughly one month prior to the attempted suspension of the Regulator. It has been partly pixelated.Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.caconservative said: None being more or as important as the "blood" shed by our soldiers. The red may not directly say blood but, the intent is there. Click to expand...

Ooooh. Are we coming up with intended meanings for all the flag colors? Let's see - if red stands for the blood of our soldiers, then white stands for the paper that protest signs are written on, and blue is the color that people's faces turn as they hold their breath waiting for the protesters to all just get along.RNG said: You know where that's from. You have been slacking off lately. Click to expand...

Borowitz!! There's a certain beauty in his writing! Sigh.Moving on....just watched a little CNN about the president's BIG DAY tomorrow with Kimmie Yum.Surprise. Surprise. The president has already changed his plans. He's leaving tomorrow night??? ONE DAY??? WELL, WOWZAAA. Obviously, the Trumpster is going to make quick work of Kim.AND get this. So far, what we are hearing is that tomorrow morning (meet and greet) there will be FOUR people in the room: Donny, Kim and the translators. Call me crazy (or cautious) but do ya really think this is a great idea?Can't you already see the reports? From Trump. With no one to confirm or deny what was said?The Wingdings are already predicting a first-round knock-out Trump victory, but those who know (or think they know) Kimmy Yummy say that NOKO thinks the deal is an all or nothing thingy. IN other words, Kimmy will be MORE than happy to "denuclearize" when everyone else does. LMAO.Seriously....is that what Yummy thinks???? OMG. I hope I'm wrong but honestly, this whole thing could be a scene from The Muppet Movie.By Devdutt Pattanaik Bangalore Mirror

Published on 10th June, 2018, in Bangalore Mirror.

It is fashionable nowadays to use the word Brahmin with contempt, inversing the contempt of many Indian elites for lower castes. It mirrors the contempt for all things white seen in the intellectual West. One can say this is social justice at work, a pushback against centuries of Brahminical and white hegemony. But this outrage (real and imagined) must not blind us to the contribution of Brahmins, especially their role in creating the temple-states in South India and even across the sea in Southeast Asia.

To understand the role of religion in state formation, we must glance at the history of Ghana (8th century) and Mali (13th century) in West Africa and Swahili (10th century) in East Africa, where the arrival of Islam changed the fortunes of old city-states and trade routes. For, with religion came intellectuals who understood economic and political systems as well as art and architecture. Likewise, the migration of adventurous Brahmins, along with Buddhist and Jain monks, from North India to South India and thence to Southeast Asia, played a key role in the spread of Indic civilisation.

From 300 CE to 1300 CE, from the Gupta period to the arrival of Islam in India, the elite from Afghanistan to Vietnam spoke Sanskrit and this shaped kings as well as kingdoms. This period saw the spread of Buddhism and post-Vedic Puranic Hinduism to a vast part of the world, which is why when one visits Myanmar, Cambodia, Thailand, Laos or Indonesia, we feel a sense of civilizational continuity with India.

Since ancient times, people from North India had been travelling to Central Asia in the West and Southeast Asia in the East. But cultural contact was accelerated when religious ideas rose and began to spread. Amongst the first missionaries were Buddhist monks, sent by Emperor Ashoka. Even before the Buddhists, from around 800 BCE, if not earlier, the men we refer to as Vedic rishis travelled to unknown lands over hills and forests and seas, spreading Vedic ideas beyond the Gangetic plains. Thus we hear of Agastya rishi travelling to the south, having caused the Vindhya Mountains to bend. And we hear of Kaundinya rishi travelling to Cambodia and marrying a naga princess there.

Over time, from around 1800 years ago, local chieftains started inviting Brahmins from the Gangetic plains to help set up kingdoms. These Brahmins were different from the Vedic Brahmins. They followed the Agama tradition based on the worship of Shiva and Vishnu in temples. They were knowledgeable in dharma-shastra (governance), artha-shastra (economics), niti-shastra (politics), kama-shastra (art), natya-shastra (theatre) and shilpa-shastra (architecture), and they were world-affirming. They connected the clan gods (kuladevata) of the chieftains to Shiva, Vishnu and most importantly Durga and brought them into the Hindu fold. Across India, even today, there are many kings known for venerating and tracing their power to a fierce goddess, often one who rides a lion or a tiger, such as Chamunda of Mysore, Bhavani of Kolhapur or the Thakuranis of Odisha, who rose to popularity in the post-Gupta era.

These Brahmins helped a chieftain become a king by establishing a kingdom that privileged them and their clan. They were like Brihaspati to Indra and Shukra to Bali, priests in mythic texts. Historians call this process kshatriyisation or Rajputisation where a kings ancestry was traced either to the sun (Surya-vamsa) hence Ram, moon (Chandra-vamsa) or to fire (Agni-kula). Land was given to Brahmins as donations (brahmadeya, or agrahara), as indicated by vast number of copper plates in this period. Brahmins established villages in these lands, inviting people of different communities to join them. These communities were organised in segments, based on vocation, and hierarchy. The Brahmins, the kings and the aristocracy lived closer to the temple. At the margins lived the least powerful service providers. In between were the markets.

Thus we find across South India and Southeast Asia from Kanchi in Tamil Nadu to Puri in Odisha to Angkor Wat in Cambodia, vast cities that grew around temples. To ensure the king did not feel threatened, the Brahmins made sure they were associated with the philosophy of detachment and actively distanced themselves from profit and power. They focused on the deity in the temple and through him connected with the king. Internally, amongst Brahmins, the ritualist philosopher gained higher status than service provider. Eventually, the order of Brahmin-monks (matha, akhara) rose and became even more powerful than Brahmin-householders.

But this remarkable system had a negative side. At the periphery of these temple-states were communities of people involved in impure vocations and so shunned to protect the core of mystical power the royal centre of the temple-state. Although many Brahmins such as Dyaneshwara and Eknath in Maharashtra, especially during the bhakti movement, denounced this practice and saw it as against the spirit of Vedas, they failed to purge it. In time, this Brahminical obsession with purity led to its global criticism and eclipsed its grand achievements in temple-states across South and Southeast Asia.Who do you think the DNC had in mind when they passed this rule on Friday? The new rule requires all Democratic presidential candidates to be a member of the Democratic Party. Becoming a member of the corrupt and flaccid party is something Bernie has always avoided when he was running for the House and later the Senate. He's always caucused with the Democrats. At first they used to run their shitty conservative candidates against him but eventually Vermont Howard Dean got them to stop doing them and the party has backed him ever since. He also helped the party, even endorsing and campaigning for Hillary Clinton after her allies in the DNC-- Wasserman Schultz and the rest of the garbage there-- were shown to be breaking the party rules by working against him in the primaries.

At the time a presidential candidate announces their candidacy publicly, they must publicly affirm that they are a Democrat, the rule says. Each candidate pursuing the Democratic nomination shall affirm, in writing, to the National Chairperson of the Democratic National Committee that they: A. are a member of the Democratic Party; B. will accept the Democratic nomination; and C. will run and serve as a member of the Democratic Party.





The rule seems like a clear response to Sanders, who caucuses with Democrats in the Senate but has steadfastly maintained his status as an independent. Sanders ran to the left of Clinton and identifies himself as a democratic socialist.





During the 2016 primary, Clinton and her supporters regularly criticized Sanders for his lack of an official affiliation with the party. After an unexpectedly close race, Sanders ultimately lost to Clinton. His base of support included younger voters and independents, whom many Democrats see as vital to the party if it hopes to avoid a repeat of its defeat to Trump in 2016. Many Sanders supporters angrily felt the DNC stacked the deck in Clintons favor, a perception that was amplified by hacked emails from party leaders that were published by Wikileaks in the lead-up to the partys 2016 convention.





In the wake of Clintons loss to Trump, the party assembled a unity commission with members appointed by both Clinton and Sanders. The Sanders wing focused on recommendations designed to open up the partys nominating process and make it more inclusive to what Sanders termed the working people and young people of our country. One of the commissions proposals that was particularly important to Sanders was the elimination of the unelected Democratic superdelegates who are able to vote for a nominee regardless of who won the race in their home state. Sanders and many of his supporters viewed these superdelegates as a way for the Democratic Party establishment to control the nominating process irrespective of the will of the partys voters.

How about this for a 2020 ticket?





With Sanderss independent status and push for inclusivity, the new rule change would seem to be a slap in the face and a potential roadblock should the Vermont senator decide to mount another presidential run in 2020. However, Sanders allies do not believe he would be affected by the measure thanks to a unique rule in his home state.





Sanders, who is currently running for reelection, typically runs in the states Democratic primary but declines the partys nomination after winning. The move allows him to fend off Democratic challengers in the state while still running as an independent. Last month, the Vermont Democratic Party passed a resolution supporting this strategy and proclaiming that Sanders would still be considered a member of the party for all purposes and entitled to all the rights and privileges that come with such membership at the state and federal level. That membership could inoculate him against the DNCs rules change.NA delays special economic zone draft law vote

The National Assembly (NA) has agreed on the government's proposal to postpone the debate on the Special Administrative and Economic Units draft Law.

The National Assembly (NA) has agreed on the government's proposal to postpone the debate on the Special Administrative and Economic Units draft Law.



85.65 per cent NA deputies agreed to delay the vote on the controversial bill until the next session at a meeting on Monday morning.



After the voting, NA Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan mentioned protests in some localities on June 10. This showed that issues discussed at the legislature were closely followed by the public, she said, and expressed her regret that people had overreacted as they lacked a better understanding of the issues.



The top legislator called on people nationwide to keep calm and trust the party and state.



She stressed that the NA always listened to opinions about draft laws deliberated at the legislature.



The NA Standing Committee also asked the NA to assign the government to co-ordinate with the committee in researching, collecting opinions and revising the draft law along with related draft resolutions and projects.



Earlier on June 9, the NA Office announced that in special cases businesses could lease land up to 99 years for production and business in special economic zones and this would not be regulated in the draft Law on Special Administrative and Economic Units of Van Don, Bac Van Phong, and Phu Quoc.



Vietnam is planning to establish three special economic zones, Van Don in the northern province of Quang Ninh, Bac Van Phong in the central province of Khanh Hoa, and Phu Quoc in the southern province of Kien Giang.



The Ministry of Planning and Investment claims that the special economic zones could attract USD9.5 billion each year from tax payments and land-related fees.UCOM has officially launched the sale of IPHONE 13

Six servicemen were wounded by the attack of the Azerbaijani armed forces in Artsakh, two of them in critical condition

S&P Improved the Outlook on Ameriabank to Positive

Ararat Mirzoyan to visit to Minsk

Google Ad

Foreign Minister of India visits the Memorial of Armenian Genocide

1217 new cases

Global Finance Names Ameriabank the Safest Bank in Armenia

Statement by the Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group

At UCOM only: Tv sets at 10% discount + 1 month free UMIX package + 4k tv channel

Ameriabanks Special Offer for New Clients of Hrazdan Branch

"Fall forward": Gurgen Khachatryan, the Co-Founder of the Galaxy Group of Companies, addressed a message to young people in Armenia

UCOM hosted interns of Russian CBOSS corporation for a month

The 20-episode Bloody bet thriller to be broadcast on Ucom's Armenia Premium TV channel

Statement by the Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group

UCOM offers affordable gadgets at bigger discount

Foreign Minister of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan will pay a working visit to New York

Google Ad

Governments preventing publication of Haykakan Zhamanak newspaper during state of emergency

UCOM prolongs the unlimited internet offer for the level up 4700 and level up 5500 subscribers

Ucom employees received recognition for their services to the homeland

Karen Vardanyan has allocated 105 million AMD to rescue the Yerevan Botanical Garden.

"The Power of One Dram" to overcome childhood cancer

Generation A 13  your chance to be the change

President of the Artsakh Republic Arayik Harutyunyan met with Russian Co-Chair of the OSCE Minsk Group Igor Khovayev

"uDays" special offer at Ucom: discounts for all smartphones and accessories for 2 days only

For more than 3 hours, 50 or more Azerbaijani servicemen have blocked the interstate road

Call on the international community for an adequate response against azerbaijani aggresssion

Transformation and trust are important for success in modern banking. Artak Hanesyan

UCOMS LEVEL UP 1700 REGIONAL TARIFF PLAN USERS TO RECEIVE MORE THAN THOSE IN YEREVAN

Joint statementAnother misinformation of Azerbaijan (video)

Political scientist Stepan Safaryan, who returned from Armenia-Nakhichevan border yesterday confirms that the information about the actions carried out at Armenia-Nakhichevan border are another misinformation by Azerbaijan. "It is about two heights: Adrich and Kezelka, about the third height, I specifically highlight Hunut or Gunut, the liberation of Hunut village from the "Armenian occupation," the construction of the 50km backyard, taking the Yerevan-Goris-Stepanakert road to control, are misinformation," said Stepan Safaryan in an interview with A1 +. According to the political scientist, president of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliev is trying to revenge in Nakhichevan today. According to Mr. Safaryan, the Azerbaijani side will not go to large-scale military operations. "It is not so easy to start a large-scale war. There were numerous factors in 2016, which, unfortunately, allowed them to speak about such a war. Russian-Turkish confrontation was one of them, since Aliyev might have thought that Turkey might have an interest in entering Nakhichevan because it was fighting with the Russians, but now he cannot create such an interest for Turkey, even though the Azerbaijani tandem is rather close. Turkey cannot put in danger neither its nuclear power plant, which the Russians builds, nor its southern flow, nor its S-400 supply for the sake of Azerbaijan, for the sake of protecting Azerbaijan in Nakhichevan. It cannot happen," said Stepan Safaryan in the conversation with us.UCOM has officially launched the sale of IPHONE 13

Six servicemen were wounded by the attack of the Azerbaijani armed forces in Artsakh, two of them in critical condition

S&P Improved the Outlook on Ameriabank to Positive

Ararat Mirzoyan to visit to Minsk

Foreign Minister of India visits the Memorial of Armenian Genocide

1217 new cases

Global Finance Names Ameriabank the Safest Bank in Armenia

Statement by the Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group

At UCOM only: Tv sets at 10% discount + 1 month free UMIX package + 4k tv channel

Ameriabanks Special Offer for New Clients of Hrazdan Branch

"Fall forward": Gurgen Khachatryan, the Co-Founder of the Galaxy Group of Companies, addressed a message to young people in Armenia

UCOM hosted interns of Russian CBOSS corporation for a month

The 20-episode Bloody bet thriller to be broadcast on Ucom's Armenia Premium TV channel

Statement by the Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group

UCOM offers affordable gadgets at bigger discount

Foreign Minister of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan will pay a working visit to New York

Google Ad

Governments preventing publication of Haykakan Zhamanak newspaper during state of emergency

UCOM prolongs the unlimited internet offer for the level up 4700 and level up 5500 subscribers

Ucom employees received recognition for their services to the homeland

Karen Vardanyan has allocated 105 million AMD to rescue the Yerevan Botanical Garden.

"The Power of One Dram" to overcome childhood cancer

Generation A 13  your chance to be the change

President of the Artsakh Republic Arayik Harutyunyan met with Russian Co-Chair of the OSCE Minsk Group Igor Khovayev

"uDays" special offer at Ucom: discounts for all smartphones and accessories for 2 days only

For more than 3 hours, 50 or more Azerbaijani servicemen have blocked the interstate road

Call on the international community for an adequate response against azerbaijani aggresssion

Transformation and trust are important for success in modern banking. Artak Hanesyan

UCOMS LEVEL UP 1700 REGIONAL TARIFF PLAN USERS TO RECEIVE MORE THAN THOSE IN YEREVAN

Joint statementPM Nguyen Xuan Phuc meets his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe in Quebec, Canada (Photo: VNA)



At their meeting, PM Phuc and his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe agreed on the need to develop the Vietnam-Japan extensive strategic partnership in a more substantive and effective manner in all fields and carry out well the agreements and joint statement reached at the recent Japan visit by Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang.

They shared the view that the two countries need to make efforts to soon ratify and implement the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) so as to benefit both sides and the whole region.

PM Abe promised to help Vietnam develop green agriculture and build high-quality infrastructure to serve socio-economic development.

The two PMs also concurred in strengthening cooperation at multilateral forums and within the ASEAN-Japan framework so as to contribute to peace, cooperation and development in the region.

PM Phuc also had a meeting with Norwegian PM Erna Solberg. They discussed measures to promote their countries cooperation and create more favourable conditions for Norwegian businesses to invest more in Vietnam, especially in the areas the European nation is strong at like maritime transport, shipbuilding, oil and gas, aquaculture and renewable energy.

The Vietnamese leader urged both countries to together speed up the negotiation on a free trade agreement between Vietnam and the European Free Trade Association. He asked Norway to assist Vietnam in developing health care, education, clean water supply and environmental hygiene.

PM Solberg highlighted the countries good forestry cooperation, adding that the Vietnamese community has developed successfully in her country and is a bridge for the bilateral friendship.

Meanwhile, PM Phuc and Bangladeshi PM Sheikh Hasina agreed to exert more efforts to solidify their countries traditional friendship and capitalise on the strengths and cooperation potential of Vietnam and Bangladesh.

PM Phuc called on the two sides to take concrete measures to increase bilateral trade, noting that Vietnam is ready to ensure stable and long-term food supply for Bangladesh. He also asked Bangladesh to support Vietnams candidacy for non-permanent membership in the UN Security Council for 2020-2021.

At another meeting, PM Phuc and French President Emmanuel Macron expressed their delight at the comprehensive development of the two countries strategic partnership, including a visit to France by General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee Nguyen Phu Trong last March. Economic and trade relations between Vietnam and France have also continued to grow. France is now a leading economic partner of Vietnam in Europe.

The two leaders agreed to boost the effectiveness of cooperation mechanisms, promote dialogue on strategic issues and security-defence, and coordinate to take measures to foster trade and investment partnerships. They also agreed to expand cultural exchange and locality-to-locality cooperation.

In another separate meeting, PM Phuc and Italian PM Giuseppe Conte were unanimous in reinforcing the Vietnam-Italy strategic partnership and effectively carry out the two countries cooperation and dialogue mechanisms. PM Phuc thanked Italy for supporting Vietnams candidacy for a seat in the UN Security Council for 2020-2021.

The Vietnamese leader also met with Argentinian President Mauricio Macri on the sidelines of the G7 Outreach Summit. They affirmed that their countries attach importance to each other in their respective foreign policies and want to intensify bilateral partnership, thus providing more favourable conditions for businesses to boost trade.

PM Phuc asked the two sides to accelerate the signing of cooperation documents to perfect the legal framework for long-term cooperation. President Macri invited PM Phuc to visit his country in 2018 and expressed his wish to visit Vietnam in 2019 to further cement bilateral ties.

During his stay to attend the G7 Outreach Summit, the Vietnamese PM also had meetings with the Presidents of Haiti, Senegal and South Africa. They talked measures to expand Vietnams cooperation with these countries, particularly in economy, trade and investment, to optimise the huge potential of bilateral relations./.PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc (right) and Chief Executive Officer of the World Bank Kristalina Georgieva (Photo: VNA)



The Vietnamese leader had separate meetings with the WBs Chief Executive Officer Kristalina Georgieva and Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Christine Lagarde in Quebec, Canada right after attending the Group of Seven (G7) Outreach Summit.

PM Phuc called on the WB to facilitate Vietnams access to preferential loans, while assisting the country in infrastructure development, climate change response and poverty reduction.

He reiterated Vietnams commitment to the effective use of the International Development Association (IDA) loans.

The PM also suggested the IMF coordinate in monitoring and assessing Vietnams macro-economy, continue to give consultations to the Vietnamese Government on managing the macro-economy, perfecting fiscal and monetary tools and restructuring the banking-financial sector, as well as provide more technical support for the country in the sustainable State budget management.

Both WB and IMF leaders expressed their delight at achievements Vietnam has recorded over the past time, lauding the countrys macro-economic stability and rosy growth rate amidst uncertainties and risks of the global economy.

WB CEO Kristalina Georgieva pledged that the WB will continue its assistance to Vietnam, especially in improving investment environment and developing clean and renewable energies.

Meanwhile, IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde promised that she and the fund will strongly support and accompany Vietnam in the reform process.

On this occasion, PM Phuc invited the WB and IMF leaders to attend the World Economic Forum on ASEAN, which is scheduled to take place in Vietnam in September 2018.

The same day, PM Phuc met with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, during which the Vietnamese leader spoke highly of and showed his support for the UN leaders contributions to promoting preventive diplomacy, preventing conflicts and addressing disputes by peaceful measures on the basis of respect for the UN Charter and international law.

Vietnam has actively participated in the UNs common activities, he said, emphasising the countrys support for the UN reform towards more efficiency, transparency and democratisation.

The PM appealed to the UN Secretary General to back Vietnams bid to run for a non-permanent seat at the UN Security Council for 2020-2021.

In reply, Antonio Guterres said he hopes to see Vietnam become an active member of the council.

PM also invited the UN Secretary General to attend the World Economic Forum on ASEAN and visit Vietnam. Antonio Guterres accepted the invitation with pleasure.

At these bilateral meetings, PM Phuc and leaders of the international organisations compared notes on regional and international issues of shared concern./.A performance at the Russia Day celebration in HCM City (Photo: VNA)



Speaking at the ceremony, Pham Duc Hai, Vice Chairman of the municipal Peoples Council, highlighted the Vietnam  Russia traditional friendship and comprehensive cooperation have been cultivated by Vietnamese and Russian leaders and people over nearly seven decades since the countries established diplomatic relations in 1945.



On behalf of the citys authorities, Hai reviewed the outcomes of the May visit to Russia by a Ho Chi Minh City delegation, led by Secretary of the municipal Party Committee Nguyen Thien Nhan. The visit had given a boost to the bilateral ties, with a roadmap set up for 2018  2020 cooperation between the southern economic hub and Saint Petersburg.



The official said the collaboration and relations between HCM City and other Russian localities like Sverdlovsk province, Vladivostok city and Moscow have been developed across municipal fields, including tourism, education, construction, health care, transport and smart city building.



Aleksey Popov, Russian Consul General in HCM City, stated Vietnam is a time-honoured friend and a trustworthy and important partner of Russia.



According to the diplomat, Vietnam  Russia comprehensive strategic partnership covers all arenas. Regular meetings of the two countries leaders have brought about practical results, as reflected through increased political dialogues, and better cooperation in economics  trade, science  technology, defence, military technology, and humanitarian activities.



He praised HCM Citys active engagements with Russia and congratulated the local authorities on their successful visit to his country last May.



In 2017, HCM City  Russia trade was close to USD324 million, and Russian arrivals in the southern hub were recorded at nearly 180,000.



Russia is currently investing in 28 projects worth USD35 million in the city./.Ambassador Tran Thanh Cong (first from right) at the event (Photo: baoquocte.vn)

Speaking at the forum, Vietnamese Ambassador to Romania Tran Thanh Cong introduced the main features about the country, culture and people, sustainable political - security environment and overall economic situation of Vietnam.

He emphasized that Vietnam has a dynamic economy and highlighted macro economic achievements over the past years, as well as attractive destinations for foreign investors; situation and cooperation prospects in fields of trade, investment, tourism and labor in the coming time.



Besides the Ambassador had an exchange with Governor of Prahova province Ioana Madalina Lupea to specify measures to promote the relations between the two countries, as well as between Prahova province and Vietnams localities.

The Governor briefly introduced the diplomatic relation, economic situation, potentials, strengths, fields calling on investment and preferential policies for foreign investors.

In addition, businesses in Prahova want the Vietnamese Embassy to introduce more about Vietnams potential partners in order to strengthen trade revenue between the two sides and cooperation and investment opportunities.

Mr. Tran Thanh Cong emphasized that the Vietnamese Embassy in Romania will be a bridge and make utmost efforts to create the most favourable conditions to provide information, introduce and support to set up partner relations among businesses of the two countries.

They agreed to collaborate to organize activities such as forums, seminars and conferences to promote investment, trade and tourism.

On this occasion, the Vietnamese diplomat also met Prof. Dr. Pascu Mihao Coloja, Rector of Petroleum & Gas University of Ploiesti. The rector said he was honored to contribute to training nearly 300 excellent Vietnamese students, many of whom hold important positions in Vietnams oil and gas sector.

The Ambassador appreciated the support of the university for Vietnamese students over the past time and desired that in the coming time more and more Vietnamese students will study there./.Chinese President Xi Jinping chairs the 18th Meeting of the Council of Heads of Member States of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in Qingdao, east China's Shandong Province, June 10, 2018. Xi delivered a speech during the meeting. (Xinhua/Li Xueren)

QINGDAO, China, June 10 (Xinhua) -- Leaders of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) held the annual summit of the Eurasian institution here on Sunday, with Chinese President Xi Jinping chairing the meeting.

At the 18th Meeting of the Council of Heads of Member States of the SCO, Xi called for carrying forward the Shanghai Spirit to surmount difficulties, defuse risks and meet challenges.

Other SCO leaders also voiced their expectations of future cooperation in various areas so as to give full play to the organization's role after its expansion.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said India will be very happy to cooperate with other SCO countries in the framework of the SCO in different areas such as organic farming, dairy and animal husbandry, agricultural education, food processing and pharmaceuticals.

Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev said the Shanghai Spirit is a driving force for the SCO to carry out its work effectively. He suggested expanding trade and investment cooperation from a bilateral level to a multilateral scale, promoting settlements in local currencies among member states, strengthening exchanges in digital information technology and developing infrastructure.

Kyrgyz President Sooronbay Jeenbekov said the SCO should play a better role in safeguarding regional security and stability, adding that he hopes its members would further coordinate their positions and actions to better address the threat posed by the "three evil forces" of terrorism, separatism and extremism in the region.

Pakistani President Mamnoon Hussain said that in just 17 years, the SCO has become a model organization for safeguarding regional security and promoting exchanges among member states. He suggested SCO leaders strengthen communication and jointly promote a more fair and reasonable international economic system.

Russian President Vladmir Putin said combating terrorism is one of the priorities of the SCO, and the organization should take further measures to promote regional stability.

He also called for alignment of projects within the framework of the Eurasian Economic Union and the Belt and Road Initiative, thus further enhancing cooperation.

President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon said regional tensions have aggravated because of various security threats. The SCO should promote closer cooperation in law enforcement and defense, and jointly combat the "three evil forces," drug trafficking and other transnational organized crimes.

Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev called on SCO member states to continue expanding economic and trade cooperation and promote regional integration.

The leaders of the four SCO observer states also attended the meeting.

Afghan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani said that the problems of terrorism and narcotics must be confronted comprehensively, and that he looks forward to expanding his country's cooperation with the SCO.

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said the SCO is capable of contributing to safeguarding international security. He called for enhancing cooperation in information and cyber security as well as nuclear security.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said countries in the region need to value their common ground, address disputes peacefully, seek long-term common interests, respect each other and abandon conflict and confrontation for a more secure, stable and prosperous region.

Mongolian President Khaltmaa Battulga said the SCO is an important platform for regional cooperation, adding that he hopes Mongolia can increase its participation in regional cooperation within the SCO framework.

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[ Editor: Zhang Zhou ]Chinese President Xi Jinping chairs a restricted session of the 18th Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Qingdao, east China's Shandong Province, June 10, 2018. (Xinhua/Li Xueren)

QINGDAO, June 10 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Sunday chaired a restricted session of the 18th Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in east China's coastal city of Qingdao.

Xi called on the SCO to carry on fine traditions, actively cope with challenges within and outside the region, and promote comprehensive cooperation in various areas, in a bid to ensure a steady and sustainable operation of the SCO.

At the session, Xi raised four proposals on the development of the SCO.

-- The SCO should advance the Shanghai Spirit of mutual trust, mutual benefit, equality, consultation, respect for diverse civilizations and pursuit of common development, and enhance solidarity and coordination.

-- The SCO should upgrade security cooperation and effectively crack down upon "three evil forces" of terrorism, extremism and separatism.

-- The SCO should work for shared development, make bigger moves in industrial cooperation, market integration, and exchanges of technologies and share huge development potential in Eurasia. They should jointly express support for free trade and trade facilitation, and safeguard the multilateral trade system.

-- The SCO should play constructive roles and show commitment in international affairs, promoting a new type of international relations featuring mutual respect, fairness and justice, and win-win cooperation, and upholding the principle of resolving hotspot issues through political and diplomatic means.

Xi called on SCO member states to remain true to the original aspiration of the SCO and work together for a more closely-connected community with a shared future.

The other leaders of the SCO member states highly appreciated China's contribution after it took over the SCO rotating presidency, and agreed that this summit is of historic significance.

They agreed that, with two new member states, the SCO has improved its ability to cooperate in all areas and had increasing responsibilities in maintaining regional security and stability, and promoting prosperity.

The leaders held that, under the new circumstances, the SCO should continue upholding the Shanghai Spirit and make sure a sustainable, healthy, and stable development.

The leaders decided that the 2019 SCO summit will be held in Kyrgyzstan.

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[ Editor: Zhang Zhou ]Laurence Barron, former CEO of Airbus China, speaks during an interview with Xinhua in Toulouse, France, May 17, 2018. Airbus embarked on its partnership journey with China more than three decades ago. In 1985, China bought its first Airbus aircraft; in 1994, the group established its first official presence in Beijing. Nowadays, more than 1,900 Airbus employees work in China, many of whom at the final assembly line in Tianjin, which had assembled and delivered 352 A320 aircraft by late 2017. (Xinhua/Xu Tian)

by Han Qian

PARIS, June 7 (Xinhua) -- China began its historic journey of reform and opening-up in 1978. In the past 40 years, the drive has lifted the country into the world's second largest economy.

Over the past 40 years, China's GDP has averaged an annual growth rate of around 9.5 percent in comparable prices.

The long-held policy not only brings China rapid and sustainable development, but also enables the country to have contributed greater momentum to global economy and created huge opportunities for multinationals.

Among them is Airbus, Europe's largest aircraft manufacturer.

WIN-WIN PARTNERSHIP

Airbus embarked on its partnership journey with China more than three decades ago. In 1985, China bought its first Airbus aircraft; in 1994, the group established its first official presence in Beijing.

"I am particularly proud of this history," Airbus CEO Tom Enders told Xinhua in a recent interview.

Enders noted the partnership between China and Airbus had taken a leap forward over the past 10 years, with the group's first final assembly line outside of Europe beginning operation in Tianjin in 2008.

The group has remarkably expanded the number of its commercial aircraft sold to China. By late 2017, there were more than 1,500 Airbus commercial jetliners in service in China, and deliveries to the country represent nearly a quarter of Airbus' total jetliner production.

Also in 2017, Airbus announced the establishment of its second global innovation center, following the one in Silicon Valley, in Shenzhen, the pioneering city of China's reform and opening-up.

Nowadays, more than 1,900 Airbus employees work in China, many of whom at the final assembly line in Tianjin, which had assembled and delivered 352 A320 aircraft by late 2017.

As head of the Tianjin final assembly line project, Laurence Barron, former CEO of Airbus China, has a vivid memory of how vegetable fields turned into a factory in two and a half years and rapidly developed into a new industrial zone.

"Change is the word I would use to describe modern China. Subways, roads, a new airport open in Beijing next year...everything has changed at a very fast speed in Beijing and that's one of the reasons I like to live there, because it is a very dynamic city," Barron told Xinhua in an interview.

GREATER OPPORTUNITIES

The first time Barron went to China was in the summer of 2003. He took office as the CEO of Airbus China one year later and has worked and lived in China ever since.

Barron recalled that from 1985, when Airbus delivered the first aircraft to China, to 1994, when Airbus set up its official bureau in Beijing, fewer than 20 Airbus aircraft had been delivered to China.

"The achievements made by Airbus in China is a good example of how foreign companies can take advantage of the reform and opening up and better position themselves in China," Barron said.

Having witnessed Chinese reform and opening up, Barron said many of the restrictions and obligations for foreign companies to set up businesses in China have been eased and relaxed, which will certainly encourage more foreign companies to go to the world's largest emerging economy with vast market potential,

"Opening up is a win-win for both foreign companies and China," Barron said.

At the 2018 annual conference of the Boao Forum for Asia in April, China announced several significant measures to enhance opening up, including cutting auto import taxes, and has promised to ease limitation on foreign equity in banking, security, and insurance industries.

Enders said that over the years of cooperation with China, Airbus has had an increasing number of partners and suppliers in the country. Meanwhile, the global leading aircraft manufacturer has also seen the Chinese aviation industry becoming more mature and competitive.

"We never underestimate the capabilities and strength of China's aviation industry. We believe that China can create competitive products. Competition is a good thing for the aviation industry," said Enders.

MORE PLANES, HELICOPTERS

Today, beyond its role of important customer and supplier to Airbus, China has also become a strategic partner for the company. The cooperation spans various areas, from commercial aircraft to helicopters, defense, space, and innovation.

Airbus' helicopter division in China held a 40 percent market share as of late 2017. An H135 helicopter final assembly line is under construction in Qingdao, Shandong province, which will become the first H135 final assembly line outside of Europe.

Recent reforms passed in China will help open lower-altitude airspace in the coming years, handing flight control from the military to civil aviation authorities. With only 900 or so civil helicopters in service in the whole country (as of late 2017), this will lead to tremendous possibilities for growth, making China the future world's largest rotorcraft market.

Xu Gang, CEO of Airbus China said Airbus' cooperation with China had been fruitful in the fields of market, capital, industry, and innovation and has made great progress in the past.

Xu said with China's further reform and opening up, the company will seek more cooperation opportunities and integrate more deeply into China.

"For any multinational company, China is a huge market, we should be more proactive in thinking, investing and exploring cooperation opportunities."

China is expected to overtake the United States as the world's largest aviation market by 2024. More opportunities will certainly emerge from the Chinese sky, Airbus aims to have 2,000 aircraft operating in China before the end of 2020 as demand continues to rise.

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[ Editor: WPY ]BANGKOK, June 6 (Xinhua) -- China's ICT giant Huawei announced an investment of 81 million U.S. dollars in Southeast Asia in three years on the 4th Annual Huawei Asia-Pacific Innovation Day held here on Wednesday.

Huawei Technologies (Thailand) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Thailand's National Science and Technology Development Agency and National Innovation Agency, outlining a series of joint research and innovation objectives, including developing deeper technological insights to advance the Thailand 4.0 agenda, strengthening communications and coordination throughout the innovation and planning processes, and fostering a startup-friendly ecosystem in Thailand.

Thailand's Deputy Prime Minister Somkid Jatusripitak and Huawei Rotating Chairman Guo Ping witnessed the signing of the MoU.

Later on Wednesday, James Wu, president of Huawei's Southeast Asia Region, unveiled Huawei's Developer Enablement Plan for the region, which aims to support digital economy and ecosystem building.

According to Wu, Huawei will invest 81 million U.S. dollars over the next three years in building OpenLabs, enabling cloud developers, and cultivating ICT talent in the Southeast Asia region.

Huawei will also open an OpenLab in Delhi in August this year, which, along with the one in Bangkok, will serve as open innovation platforms where Huawei joins forces with local partners to develop industry solutions for the region.

Nearly 300 attendees from government, industry, and academia gathered at the 4th Huawei Asia-Pacific Innovation Day to explore how digital infrastructure accelerates the growth of digital economy, enriches life, drives innovation, and helps cultivate an ecosystem of shared success.

In his speech, Thai Deputy Prime Minister Somkid spoke highly of Huawei's contribution to the kingdom's digital transformation in the past three years.

[ Editor: WPY ]Disclaimer

All data and information provided on this site is for informational purposes only. en.gmw.cn makes no representations as to accuracy, suitability, or validity of any information on this site and will not be liable for any errors, omissions, or delays in this information or any losses, injuries, or damages arising from its display or use. All information is provided on an as-is basis. Contact us.At their meeting, PM Phuc and his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe agreed on the need to develop the Vietnam-Japan extensive strategic partnership in a more substantive and effective manner in all fields and carry out well the agreements and joint statement reached at the recent Japan visit by Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang.

They shared the view that the two countries need to make efforts to soon ratify and implement the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) so as to benefit both sides and the whole region.

PM Abe promised to help Vietnam develop green agriculture and build high-quality infrastructure to serve socio-economic development.

The two PMs also concurred in strengthening cooperation at multilateral forums and within the ASEAN-Japan framework so as to contribute to peace, cooperation and development in the region.

PM Phuc also had a meeting with Norwegian PM Erna Solberg. They discussed measures to promote their countries cooperation and create more favourable conditions for Norwegian businesses to invest more in Vietnam, especially in the areas the European nation is strong at like maritime transport, shipbuilding, oil and gas, aquaculture and renewable energy.

The Vietnamese leader urged both countries to together speed up the negotiation on a free trade agreement between Vietnam and the European Free Trade Association. He asked Norway to assist Vietnam in developing health care, education, clean water supply and environmental hygiene.

PM Solberg highlighted the countries good forestry cooperation, adding that the Vietnamese community has developed successfully in her country and is a bridge for the bilateral friendship.

PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc and his Bangladeshi counterpart Sheikh Hasina. (Photo: VNA)



Meanwhile, PM Phuc and Bangladeshi PM Sheikh Hasina agreed to exert more efforts to solidify their countries traditional friendship and capitalise on the strengths and cooperation potential of Vietnam and Bangladesh.

PM Phuc called on the two sides to take concrete measures to increase bilateral trade, noting that Vietnam is ready to ensure stable and long-term food supply for Bangladesh. He also asked Bangladesh to support Vietnams candidacy for non-permanent membership in the UN Security Council for 2020-2021.

At another meeting, PM Phuc and French President Emmanuel Macron expressed their delight at the comprehensive development of the two countries strategic partnership, including a visit to France by General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee Nguyen Phu Trong last March. Economic and trade relations between Vietnam and France have also continued to grow. France is now a leading economic partner of Vietnam in Europe.

The two leaders agreed to boost the effectiveness of cooperation mechanisms, promote dialogue on strategic issues and security-defence, and coordinate to take measures to foster trade and investment partnerships. They also agreed to expand cultural exchange and locality-to-locality cooperation.

PMs Nguyen Xuan Phuc (R) of Vietnam and Giuseppe Conte of Italy (Photo: VNA)



In another separate meeting, PM Phuc and Italian PM Giuseppe Conte were unanimous in reinforcing the Vietnam-Italy strategic partnership and effectively carry out the two countries cooperation and dialogue mechanisms. PM Phuc thanked Italy for supporting Vietnams candidacy for a seat in the UN Security Council for 2020-2021.

The Vietnamese leader also met with Argentinian President Mauricio Macri on the sidelines of the G7 Outreach Summit. They affirmed that their countries attach importance to each other in their respective foreign policies and want to intensify bilateral partnership, thus providing more favourable conditions for businesses to boost trade.

PM Phuc asked the two sides to accelerate the signing of cooperation documents to perfect the legal framework for long-term cooperation. President Macri invited PM Phuc to visit his country in 2018 and expressed his wish to visit Vietnam in 2019 to further cement bilateral ties.

During his stay to attend the G7 Outreach Summit, the Vietnamese PM also had meetings with the Presidents of Haiti, Senegal and South Africa. They talked measures to expand Vietnams cooperation with these countries, particularly in economy, trade and investment, to optimise the huge potential of bilateral relations.On June 11, 1948, President Ho Chi Minh made an appeal for patriotic emulation in which he stated that emulation means patriotism, patriotism requires emulation and those who emulate are the most patriotic persons.

Over the past 70 years, President Ho Chi Minhs appeal has become a foundation and stimulant for people from all walks of life to try their utmost to overcome all difficulties and challenges and make contributions to the struggle for national independence, and national construction and development.

During different periods, patriotic emulation movements under various names, contents and forms have been created to meet the reality of life.

Vietnams significant achievements all bear the imprint of patriotic emulation movements, which shows that emulation is a mental stimulus that creates physical strength and mobilises the power of the entire society for the cause of national liberation, construction and defence.

Emulation movements have helped with the fulfilment of challenging tasks, namely promoting socio-economic development, lifting the country out of underdevelopment, ensuring social security, strengthening defence and maintaining national sovereignty, and proactive international integration.

Besides the significant achievements, the emulation movement has also faced various obstacles and drawbacks. Many programmes have failed to create a far-reaching effect on the peoples lives, while many others were superficial and hollow. Certain programmes were not aligned with the interests of the working people and were implemented ineffectively. Attention was inadequately given to the commendation of exemplary people.

In order for patriotic emulation movements to make full use of national unity and the strength of the entire political system to make active contributions to the cause of reform, national construction and defence, the Party organisations, governments, and leaders of agencies and units should enhance their leadership capacity and pay closer attention to emulation and commendations.

It is necessary to properly and profoundly implement President Ho Chi Minhs ideology on patriotic emulation and align it with everyones daily work. Emulation movements should be organised in a practical and effective way with the content and form suitable with the specific conditions of each agency, sector and locality.

For now, agencies, sectors and localities should continue expanding their administrative reforms, strengthen discipline, promote the anti-corruption fight, and enhance the quality of international integration, thereby creating an advanced Vietnamese culture imbued with national characteristics, and building patriotic, humane and comprehensively developed Vietnamese citizens.

All cadres and Party members, especially those in leadership positions, should take into account their pioneering role in order to become the true leaders of emulation movements.

President Ho Chi Minhs appeal for patriotic emulation and his ideology on emulation has thus far remained historically significant and alive in the current cause for national construction and defence. The Party and government at all levels, the Fatherland Front, and social and political organisations should make bolder effort to call forth the peoples response, and continue to foster and enhance the quality of patriotic emulation movements in the time ahead.The meetings were part of his visit to Japan to attend the 24th International Conference on the Future of Asia.

Speaking highly of the cooperation and exchanges between the two Governments, parliaments and ministries in the past time, the Deputy PM said that both sides should coordinate closely at the World Economic Forum on ASEAN in September this year in Vietnam and the Mekong-Japan Summit Meeting in October in Japan.

He recommended the Japanese House of Representatives maintain all-level exchanges and meetings with the Vietnamese National Assembly, particularly between young parliamentarians.

Also, he lauded the Japanese Government for its continued ODA provision for Vietnam in the fields of human resources training and high-quality infrastructure, stressing Vietnams efforts in using the assistance in an effective and rational way.

He suggested both sides promote experience sharing in legislation, court, e-government, public administrative reform, settlement of redundancies after reform, and application of industry 4.0 in administrative reform.

It is vital for the two countries to enhance investment and people-to-people exchanges, bolster coordination and mutual support at regional and international forums like the Asia-Pacific Parliamentary Forum (APPF) and the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), he said.

For their part, the Japanese hosts thanked the Vietnamese official for attending the International Conference on the Future of Asia, expressing their elation over the development of the Vietnam-Japan relations.

They affirmed that President Tran Dai Quangs May 29-June 2 visit to Japan was very significant during the year marking the 45th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic ties.

PM Shinzo Abe said that both countries need to join hands to carry out the agreements reached during President Quangs visit, helping the bilateral relations develop in a more effective and practical manner.

Meanwhile, Speaker Tadamori Oshima applauded the exchanges between the two parliaments, and Vietnams socio-economic and diplomatic achievements in the past years.

Japan always attaches importance to further enhancing the cooperation with Vietnam and supports the country in its socio-economic development, he noted, lauding Vietnams active role in the signing of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP).

Voicing his concern over the East Sea issue, he said that Japan wants to join hands with Vietnam to ensure peace, stability, and safety and freedom of navigation based on international law.

At a reception for Japanese Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications Seiko Noda, Deputy PM Binh hoped that the Japanese ministry will further its assistance for Vietnam in building e-government and administrative reform.

Seiko Noda spoke highly of Vietnams public administrative reform while saying that Japan stands ready to support the Southeast Asian nation in the field.

Meeting with President of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) Shinichi Kitaoka, the Deputy PM asked JICA to continue its backup for Vietnam in the construction of large-scale infrastructure projects.

Shinichi Kitaoka affirmed that Vietnam is JICAs important partner in the world, adding his organizations support will focus on enhancing competitiveness, response to climate change, and improvement of State management capacity.

He affirmed that JICA will do its utmost to contribute to the Vietnam-Japan relations.During a meeting with the press to announce the outcomes of Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phucs visit to Canada and his attendance at the meeting, Deputy Foreign Minister Ha Kim Ngoc said the Prime Minister initiated ideas to foster global cooperation in response to climate change, discharge of plastic wastes into oceans, and maintenance of peace, stability and respect for international law in sea areas, which were welcomed by leaders and international organisations at the event.

The PM held 14 meetings with leaders of countries and international organisations to raise mutual trust and understanding, call on countries and international organisations to support Vietnams run for non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council for the 2020-2021 tenure, and attend the World Economic Forum on ASEAN 2018 in Vietnam in September.

He held talks with his Canadian counterpart Justin Trudeau, met Governor General of Canada Julie Payette, former PM Jeans Chretien, Premier of Quebec Philippe Couillard, attended a dialogue with leading Canadian firms, and visited Laval University.

The two countries leaders affirmed the policy of appreciating each other in the external policy of each country and expressed their wish to strongly develop comprehensive partnership.

During their talks, the two PMs agreed on measures to step up political and diplomatic ties, trade-investment, national defence-security, development cooperation, culture-education, science-technology and people-to-people exchange, as well as in regional and global issues of shared concern.

Both sides signed several cooperation agreements on science-technology, education-training and transport infrastructure.

Via the visit, the two countries leaders created a driving force for the effective and practical development of bilateral comprehensive partnership that was established during Canadian PM Justin Trudeaus Vietnam visit in November 2017.

In the near future, the two sides will step up cooperation in seven priority fields of politics-diplomacy, trade-investment, development cooperation, national defence-security, culture-education, science-technology, and people-to-people exchange for the benefit of the two peoples, and for peace, stability, cooperation and development in the region and the world, Deputy Foreign Minister Ngoc said.

About the significance of the summits theme to Vietnam, Deputy Foreign Minister Ngoc said Vietnam has a long coastline and is hard hit by climate change, especially in the Mekong Delta where tens of millions of people are suffering from the impacts of rising sea water and widespread salinisation. Therefore, the theme of seas and oceans is not only of concern of the world but practical to Vietnam.

The PMs active discussions on seas and oceans at the summit affirmed Vietnams strong commitments and reflected Vietnams responsibility for fighting climate change and marine ecological protection. On the occasion, Vietnam called on countries and international organisations to support it in the effort.

As regards Vietnams role and contributions to the event, Deputy Foreign Minister Ngoc said the PM offered two initiatives which were welcomed by participants, including establishing an extended forum on response to climate change and marine ecological protection among G7 member states and coastal nations to share experience and facilitate technology transfer.

The PM urged international community to establish a global cooperation mechanism on preventing plastic wastes discharge towards the goal of green and clean oceans, as well as support Vietnams initiative on a regional project for an ocean free of plastic wastes to be mentioned at the 54th Meeting of the Global Environment Facility Council scheduled for late June in Vietnam, Deputy Foreign Minister Ngoc said.CMAFlorida Georgia Line celebrated the #1 success of both Meant to Be and God, Your Mama and Me this weekend with a party at FGL House in downtown Nashville.

Both Bebe Rexha and Backstreet Boys were on hand for the festivities, but even the world-famous pop stars couldnt compete with the most popular girl at the party: Tyler Hubbards nearly six-month-old daughter Olivia.

Liv, as her dad calls her, smiled, cooed and demonstrated her standing-up skills as the superstars did interviews before the party.

Yeah, she seems to be pretty outgoing, likes to be around people, but she always has been, Tyler says of his daughters personality. So hopefully that doesn't change. And she's kinda like me and [my wife] Hayley in a way. We're social people, you know.

Next up for Tyler and Brian Kelley? The retro video for their new single, Simple.

A little 1930's little timepiece there, BK says of the songs feel. So we're super excited. It's really cool to see the song and the lyrics really come to life in this video.

I think our guy, Justin Clough, our director, he crushed it, wrote an amazing treatment, Brian continues. And all the actors, everybody in the band, we got everybody in there, and it looks beautiful, really true to the time. And we'll see what everybody thinks.

Look for FGLs video for Simple to be released soon.

You can also catch their collaborations with Bebe and BSB on the 2018 edition of the annual CMA Fest special, which premieres August 8 at 8 p.m. ET. on ABC.

Copyright  2018, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.In a meeting with Lao Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith, both sides attached the importance of the Vietnam-Laos special friendship and affirmed to deepen bilateral cooperation in the future.

They agreed to accelerate economic cooperation in an effective and practical manner, with focus on key transportation, economic and infrastructure projects.

The Lao leader affirmed to create favourable conditions for and encourage cooperation between businesses of both sides. The Lao government will work to remove bottlenecks for cooperative projects, particularly significant ones which bring substantial benefits for people of the two countries.

The two leaders said that Vietnam and Laos will continue to share information and coordinate at multilateral forums to maintain peace, stability, and sustainable development in each nation.

Congratulating Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad on his election, Deputy PM Binh said that Vietnam always treasures and wants to elevate the strategic partnership with Malaysia to a new height.

The Malaysian PM suggested both countries consolidate political trust, boost economic cooperation with new approaches, focusing on sectors which apply high tech and have highly-added value to adapt to the globes rapid changes and impacts of the industry 4.0.

Deputy PM Binh and Mahathir reached consensus on expanding marine cooperation, promoting the signing of fishery cooperation deals, addressing fishermen-related issues, and accelerating negotiations on overlapping waters.

They also talked regional and international issues of mutual interests, stressing the need to strengthen solidarity to build a peaceful, stable and resilient ASEAN bloc.

Meanwhile, Deputy PM Binh and his Singaporean counterpart Teo Chee Hean achieved consensus on maintaining political trust, fortifying the implementation high-level agreements, especially those reached during PM Nguyen Xuan Phucs visit to Singapore in April, as well as promoting defence-security cooperation.

Teo committed to helping Vietnam enhance management capacity, share experience in training young leaders, and collaborate to foster regional economic integration through the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) and Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP).An agreement to this effect was signed by VTV General Director Tran Binh Minh and ICRT President Alfonson Noya Martinez during their talks in Cuba as part of the formers visit to the Caribbean country from June 6-10.

Minh expressed his gratitude to Cuban colleagues and teachers for their support for VTV in its early days, saying his agency is willing to share its experience in developing the self-control mechanism at a national television with the Cuban institute frankly and wholeheartedly.

VTV will also assist Cuban film delegations to Vietnam in making films on leader Fidel Castros historic visit to Vietnam 45 years ago (September 1973), and stands ready to expand cooperation in this field.

For his part, Alfonson Noya described Vietnam and VTV in particular as a model which overcomes difficulties to develop.

Alfonso Noya said Vietnams experience in audiovisual technologies would be valuable for Cuba.

He said he believes that there are many areas for experience sharing between Vietnam and Cuba, thus helping the two nations to enrich their cultural knowledge and promote mutual understanding.

At a working session with representatives of the Cuban Ministry of Culture and the Institute of Cinematographic Art and Industry of Cuba (ICAIC), Minh called on the Cuban side to support VTV correspondents in making documentaries on Cubas culture.

In response, VTV will provide support and documents that the Cuban side needs, he promised.

On this occasion, ICAIC Vice President Benigno Iglesias and head of the VTV International Cooperation Department Ho Kien signed an agreement on free-of-charge exchange of audiovisual products.

Under the agreement, the ICAIC will hand over the first batch of six documentaries on Vietnam by late director Sangtiago Alvarez, 71 news on the anti-US war in Vietnam produced by the institute during 1960-1990, and two other documentaries by director Isabel Santos to VTV.

While in Cuba, Minh and his entourage attended the International Convention of Radio and Television Cuba from June 7-9.Under the support of the Arab coalition, the Yemen government forces approached the harbour city of Hodeida to prepare to recapture the city on the Red Sea from Houthis. The goal of the coalition is to cut off the arteries that the rebels are taking advantage of. In response, Houthis urged rebel fighters to gather in order to defend the western front, ready to discourage any coalition operation aimed at Hodeida.

Regional and international communities fear that if a major military operation takes place it will pose the threat of a new humanitarian crisis in Yemen, a country that is witnessing the worst humanitarian disaster in the world, with two-thirds of the population in need of relief. The UN warned that any military campaign aimed at this seaport would prevent humanitarian aid from being shipped to Yemen, as 70% of Yemen's imports are transported through Hodeida.

The Red Sea port city has become a fiercely competitive area since the Saudi-led coalition forces launched a military intervention in 2015 to counter the Houthi rebels in Yemen. The seaport is the largest recipient of aid in Yemen, where millions of people are on the brink of famine. Meanwhile, the coalition and the Yemeni pro-government forces said that the port is also the place where militants received arms from abroad, including ballistic missiles. By the end of 2017, the coalition announced a comprehensive plan to encircle Hodeida in response to a ballistic-strike against the Saudi capital of Riyadh.

With the coalition's determination to recapture Hodeida, the UN is concerned that a violent conflict could occur and threaten the lives of the 600,000 people in the city. According to a UN warning, if the military operation in Hodeida was to take place, the cost could amount to 250,000 civilian lives.

In support of the internationally recognised government of Yemen, in March 2015, Saudi-led military alliances intervened in the Yemeni civil war, launching of thousands of air strikes against the bases of the Houthi rebels. In response, Houthis has conducted hundreds of missile strikes against the cities of the neighbouring country.

A view of the Red Sea port city of Hodeida, Yemen, May 10, 2017. The UN has warned that an assault on the Yemeni port could cost 250,000 civilian lives. (Photo: Reuters)

The war and conflicts that lasted more than three years in Yemen killed over 10,000 people, while leaving tens of thousands injured and sending more than two million into exile, as well as destroying a lot of infrastructure, including the health system. More than 22 million out of the 25 million people in Yemen need humanitarian assistance, including 11.3 million people that require emergency relief. The recent escalation of conflict in Yemen has had a severe impact on humanitarian relief. The International Committee of the Red Cross has recently withdrawn 71 staff from Yemen due to security concerns.

In light of the developments in Yemen, the Pentagon recently said that it would be possible to deploy direct military assistance to the United Arab Emirates in a campaign aimed at taking control of the main harbour of Hodeida from the rebels. But Pentagon officials also expressed their concern over the consequences of a military operation in Hodeida as it is not entirely certain that the coalition would solve the problem quickly and avoid catastrophic consequences. The US has provided billions of dollars in support to the coalition from the outset of the war through the supply of arms, intelligence and logistics, but did not directly send troops to Yemen.

However, the US media has reported that, in late 2017, the Pentagon secretly deployed a task force to assist Saudi Arabia in identifying and destroying ballistic missile bases, as well as the locations of the launch pads that Houthi rebels used to attack Riyadh. The ability of the US direct intervention in Yemen shows the deteriorating security situation in the disadvantaged country on the Arabian Peninsula.

The UN is planning a new peace project for Yemen, calling on the Houthis to hand over ballistic missiles to facilitate a peaceful negotiated political settlement roadmap to end the conflict. However, many UN-mediated political talks have come to a standstill, and recent developments are raising concerns about a "wave of tsunamis" in the Red Sea that might entrench Yemen deeper into crisis.Addressing their talks following an official welcoming ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, President Putin and President Xi agreed to maintain the friendship and cooperation between Russia and China, while expanding and deepening their bilateral cooperation across various spheres, and elevating the Russia-China relations to new heights. President Putin hailed the cooperation attained by the two sides as being of an unprecedented level of steadiness, stating that fostering stable cooperation with China is one of Russias important priorities.

Meanwhile, the Chinese leaders also made similar assessments of the Sino-Russian relations. President Xi Jinping said that boosting Sino-Russian ties has always been a leading priority of both countries. In addition, the two sides have also been actively engaged in global issues and governance. During his meeting with President Putin, Chinese PM Li Keqiang announced that Beijing is ready to develop its cooperation with Russia in traditional fields, as well as in certain other new spheres, especially nuclear energy. According to the Chinese cabinet leader, two-way trade between China and Russia could possibly reach US$100 billion this year. The two sides have already completed the set tasks and can elevate their economic and trade cooperation to a new level.

The Russian leaders China visit and the aforementioned statements demonstrate that the two neighbouring powers are continuing to cultivate a warm relationship in their bilateral ties. In fact, the honeymoon in Russia-China relations began in 2014 after Russia suffered repeatedly heavy sanctions from the United States and Western countries. In the successive years later, the Russian economy unceasingly plummeted and reported negative growth. In that difficult context, the turn to the East emerged as one of the most important solutions to help Russia to escape from being under siege and isolation.

As for China, recently, the China-US trade disputes are likely to break out into a trade war, and are escalating the tensions between the two sides. So, it is quite comprehensible that China and Russia are moving closer to each other. Furthermore, Russia is an important energy provider and a key partner in the implementation of the Belt and Road cooperation initiative launched by China in late 2013.

Over the past few years, Russia and China have been working quite actively together in the areas of cooperation, covering economics, politics, foreign affairs and security. The two sides have supported each other in international affairs, while frequently reaching a common voice in security issues, such as the Korean Peninsula situation, the Syrian crisis, and the Iranian nuclear deal. Meanwhile, both have registered positive results in bilateral economic cooperation, especially in the fields of finance, energy and trade. So far, Russia and China have expanded their direct payments by using the domestic currency of the two countries. The Russian banks have issued credit in the Chinese yuan, while establishing the Russia-Chinese investment fund worth CNY68 billion (US$10 billion). Bilateral trade revenue reached US$84 billion last year.

Economic contracts worth hundreds of billions of dollars have been signed and implemented, including the agreement that Russias national gas group, Gazprom, provides China with 38 billion cubic metres of gas annually for 30 years, at an estimated value of US$400 billion.

The aforementioned reality shows that the relations between Russia and China have been continuously strengthened and developed in recent years. Together with the two countries coming closer together in the face of pressure from the US and Western nations, President Putin and President Xi are focusing on fostering bilateral ties and have met at least five times annually over the past few years, providing opportunities for the Russia-China relations to thrive. Analysts said that in the context that the two Presidents have been reelected, the visit to China made by President Putin is of great significance, creating a motivation to develop and further the warmth in Russia-China ties.A stronger police presence, strict security checks and road blocks around the "enhanced security special event areas" underscored the Southeast Asian country's efforts to fend off any unforeseen mishaps during the summit slated to take place on June 12.

Trump's Air Force One is expected to arrive at Paya Lebar Air Base in the central east of Singapore on June 10 after a 17-hour flight from Quebec, Canada, where he attended the Group of Seven summit.

On the same day, the DPRKs leader is likely to land at Changi Airport, a civilian facility at the eastern end of Singapore, after about seven hours of flight from Pyongyang, according to media reports.

The Singaporean authorities have designated the sites related to the summit as the special event areas from June 10 through June 14. They include the Capella Hotel on Sentosa Island, the summit venue, and the places surrounding the Shangri-La Hotel and the St. Regis Hotel where Trump and Kim are expected to stay, respectively.

The summit venue, roads and hotels in Singapore will be secured by the Gurkha Contingent of the Singaporean police, according to diplomats familiar with VIP security in the island state.

The southern resort island of Sentosa, where the summit will be held, has been added to the list of special event areas by the Singaporean government during the week of the summit.

Singapore airspace will be restricted during the summit, according to a notice to airmen posted by aviation authorities on May 30.

Singapore was chosen to host the summit between President Trump and DPRKs leader Kim Jong-un primarily because it is one of few nations with diplomatic relations with both parties, the White House said.

The Southeast Asia country is often named one of the safest in the world as well.Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel, U.S. President Donald Trump, Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and France's President Emmanuel Macron chat during a family photo at the G7 Summit in the Charlevoix city of La Malbaie, Quebec, Canada, June 8, 2018. (Xinhua/REUTERS)

WASHINGTON, June 10 (Xinhua) -- Two senior White House officials on Sunday blasted Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau over his earlier statements during the just concluded Group of Seven (G7) summit.

Trudeau announced on Saturday that all G7 members had endorsed the joint communique; however, he noted that the U.S. tariffs are "insulting" and Canada "will not be pushed around."

The remarks have enraged U.S. President Donald Trump. He tweeted hours later that he had instructed U.S. representatives not to endorse the G7 joint communique "based on Justin's false statements at his news conference, and the fact that Canada is charging massive Tariffs to our U.S. farmers, workers and companies."

Saying Trudeau is "dishonest & weak," he also threatened "tariffs on automobiles flooding the U.S. Market!"

Also in response, Larry Kudlow, director of the White House's National Economic Council, said on Sunday in an interview with CNN that Trudeau betrayed Trump with "polarizing" statements on U.S. trade policy.

He added that Trudeau's statement risked making Trump look weak before his meeting with Kim Jong Un, the top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) in Singapore.

"He really kind of stabbed us in the back," he said, adding Trump "is not going to let a Canadian prime minister push him around on the eve of this ... he is not going to permit any show of weakness on the trip to negotiate with North Korea."

Saying Trudeau's statements are "amateurish" and "sophomoric" only "for domestic consumption," Kudlow said it was Trudeau's remarks that had prompted Trump to pull out of the joint communique.

"He held a press conference and he said the U.S. is insulting. He said that Canada has to stand up for itself. He says that we are the problem with tariffs. The non-factual part of this is - they have enormous tariffs," Kudlow said. "Don't blame Trump. It was Trudeau who started blasting Trump after he left, after the deals had been made."

Trump's trade adviser Peter Navarro also lashed out on Sunday at Trudeau's statements, saying they represent "bad faith."

"There is a special place in hell for any for leader that engages in bad faith diplomacy with President Donald J. Trump and then tries to stab him in the back on the way out the door and that's what bad-faith Justin Trudeau did with that stunt press conference, that's what weak, dishonest Justin Trudeau did," Navarro told "Fox News Sunday."

Trump "did the courtesy to Justin Trudeau to travel up to Quebec for that summit. He had other things, bigger things, on his plate in Singapore. ... He did him a favor and he was even willing to sign that socialist communique. And what did Trudeau do as soon as the plane took off from Canadian airspace? Trudeau stuck our president in the back. That will not stand," he noted.

Trump's decision to withdraw his support for the communique has drawn sharp criticism from Germany on Sunday.

"In a matter of seconds, you can destroy trust with 280 Twitter characters," German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said when asked about Trump's decision. "We have seen this with the climate agreement or the Iran deal."

Canada's Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland spoke against the United States over its tariffs on steel and aluminum on Friday during the Group of Seven (G7) summit in Charlevoix, Quebec.

"Canada will not change its mind when it comes to the illegal and absolutely unjustified application of tariffs on steel and aluminum, not only coming from Canada, but on the steel and aluminum sold by all the G7 allies who are assembled here, to the United States," Freeland said in a news conference at the summit.

Noting the U.S. imposition of tariffs was officially stated as a national security consideration, Freeland said: "We are very clear that Canada does not pose a national security threat to the United States. On the contrary, as part of the U.S. law, we are part of the national defense base of the United States."

"Canada has already raised cases at the WTO and at NAFTA, and we will retaliate," she said. "But we say that with great sadness."

Last week, Canada hit back at Trump administration by announcing retaliatory tariffs on up to 16.6 billion Canadian dollars (12.8 billion U.S. dollars) worth of U.S. steel and aluminum as well as a diverse list of other products. Those countermeasures are set to take effect on July 1.

James Brander, an international trade expert at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, said Freeland's comments were meaningful.

"I think she is outlining Canada's actual position and is outlining actual steps that have been taken and are being taken," he told Xinhua in an interview.

G7 includes the seven leading industrialized countries of Britain, the United States, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and Canada.A press communique was issued after the 18th Meeting of the Council of Heads of Member States of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) held on Saturday and Sunday in the coastal city of Qingdao, east China's Shandong Province.

Leaders of the SCO member states meet the press at the 18th Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Qingdao on Sunday, June 10, 2018. [Photo: Xinhua]

Member states emphasized that the SCO has seen continuously expanding potential for cooperation after the accession of India and Pakistan, and has become a unique, influential and authoritative regional organization, the communique said.

SCO members consistently support the mediation of conflicts in Afghanistan, Syria, the Middle East and the Korean Peninsula, as well as other regional conflicts under the frameworks of widely-acknowledged norms and principles of international law, it said.

The member states pointed out that it is very important to continue the implementation of the Iran nuclear deal, the document said.

The 2019-2021 program of cooperation for combating terrorism, separatism and extremism, approved at the summit, will further promote pragmatic cooperation among member states in this respect, it added.

Leaders of member states support a series of work on the education of youngsters to prevent them from participating in destructive activities. To that end, the summit passed a joint message from leaders of SCO members to young people, the document said.

In the communique, SCO member states also stressed the significance of improving the global economic governance system, consolidating and developing the multilateral trade mechanism with the World Trade Organization at its core, and building an open world economy.

Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan reaffirmed their support for the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative, it said.

Kyrgyzstan has taken over the SCO rotating presidency, and the 19th SCO summit will be held in Kyrgyzstan next year, the communique said.Kim Jong-un, chairman of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) and chairman of the State Affairs Commission of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) in Singapore on Sunday. [Photo/Xinhua]

US President Donald Trump arrived in Singapore on Sunday amid great optimism about Tuesday's summit with Democratic People's Republic of Korea top leader Kim Jong-un on improving ties and ultimately achieving the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

Trump's Air Force One landed at Singapore's Paya Lebar Air Base on Sunday evening about six hours after Kim's arrival at Changi Airport.

US President Donald Trump and his team arrive at the Singapore Paya Lebar Air Base Sunday evening.[Photo provided by Ministry of Communications and Information, Republic of Singapore]

"We have to get denuclearization. We have to get something going," Trump told the media shortly before departing for Singapore from Charlevoix, Canada, where he attended the G7 summit and clashed with leaders of the six other nations over additional US steel and aluminum tariffs.

He said, "We appreciate everything that's going on", adding "we appreciate working together" with the DPRK. "They're really working very well with us."

The optimism and confidence is a big contrast to just months ago when Trump and Kim engaged in a war of words, including trading personal insults. On May 24, Trump abruptly canceled the June 12 summit, but revived it eight days later. Tuesday's summit will be the first meeting between a sitting US president and a top DPRK leader.

Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong (right) meets with Kim Jong-un, chairman of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) and chairman of the State Affairs Commission of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) in Singapore on Sunday. [Photo provided by Ministry of Communications and Information, Republic of Singapore]

Trump said: "This is a great opportunity for peace, and lasting peace, and prosperity.

"So we're going in with a very positive attitude, and I think we're going to come out fine."

But he cautioned that there's a good chance it won't work out. "There's probably an even better chance that it will take a period of time. It will be a process," he said.

The US president has in the past week tamped down the previous high expectations of a rapid complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearization on the part of the DPRK. He has since described the first summit as a get-to-know-you meeting, and that denuclearization will take many meetings.

"I think the minimum would be a relationship. You'd start at least with a dialogue," Trump said.

Kim did not make public statement before or after his arrival in Singapore. He met Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Sunday evening. Trump will meet Lee on Monday.

US President Donald Trump and his team arrive at the Singapore Paya Lebar Air Base Sunday evening.[Photo provided by Ministry of Communications and Information, Republic of Singapore]

Singapore has diplomatic relations with both the US and the DPRK.

Tuesday's summit between Trump and Kim will start at 9 am local time at the Capella Hotel on Sentosa, a resort island off Singapore's southern coast linked by a causeway and cable car.

Singaporean newspaper The Straits Times reported that around 3,000 reporters have arrived in Singapore to cover the historic summit. While White House accredited reporters have a media center at the JW Marriott Hotel, the Singapore Formula One building has been turned into a temporary media center for mostly international journalists.

Security has been extremely tight. Singaporean authorities have imposed traffic restrictions for the summit. Taxis are not allowed to go close to the Shangri-La or St Regis, where Trump and Kim stay, respectively.

Shen Dingli, a professor at the Institute of International Studies of Fudan University, said the two sides could possibly affirm their collaborative commitment to denuclearizing the DPRK and possibly lay out their principles and the rough plan of a phased program.

While the US has talked about the denuclearization of the DPRK, the DPRK often talks about the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and demands a post-denuclearization security guarantee and the lifting of economic sanctions.

Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong (right) meets with Kim Jong-un, chairman of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) and chairman of the State Affairs Commission of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) in Singapore on Sunday. [Photo provided by Ministry of Communications and Information, Republic of Singapore]

Chief among these include a peace treaty to formally end the Korean War, which is still in a state of truce after the 1953 armistice, a US troop withdrawal or reduction from the Republic of Korea, and a dramatic reduction of US-ROK joint military drills.

Shen doubted the US would do anything to reduce troops or military drills, but he said it might offer some legally bound security assurance to the DPRK.

Charles Armstrong, a professor of Korean Studies at Columbia University in New York, said it is not realistic to expect the DPRK to completely give up its nuclear program right away. He said the big question is whether the engagement can be sustained even if a major agreement is reached at the summit.

"No one wants to return to the dangerous confrontation of last year, and it is possible that the talks will fail and the US will return to a policy of maximum pressure'," he said, while the DPRK "returns to provocative actions".

"There seems to be enough political will at the moment in Pyongyang, Seoul, Washington and Beijing to move the peace process forward, but there are many unforeseeable factors including especially domestic opposition in the US," Armstrong said.

The US Republican and Democratic parties have pressured Trump not to make too many concessions in talks with Kim.Experimental reactor could be first stride toward endless energy: expert

China has delivered core components to the "artificial sun" reactor project, a move that contributes to the peaceful use of nuclear energy and mankind's sustainable development, according to experts.

China National Nuclear Corporation has delivered the magnet support components to the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) project on Saturday in Zunyi, Southwest China's Guizhou Province, the Xinhua News Agency reported on Saturday.

The components will then be transferred to the experimental reactor facility in France, becoming the first batch of fundamental parts to be installed, according to the report.

The magnet support components are among the most important fundamental parts of the ITER. They will support the 10,000-ton magnet - the core device of the reactor - under extreme working condition, Luo Delong, director of the China International Nuclear Fusion Energy Program Execution Center, was quoted by Xinhua as saying.

"The delivery marks China's contribution to the peaceful use of nuclear energy and mankind's sustainable development," said Liu Yong, the president of China National Nuclear Corporation's Southwestern Institute of Physics, adding that the research has provided technological know-how and personnel reserve for China's own thermonuclear fusion reactor development, Xinhua reported.

The ITER project is a global collaboration of 35 countries including China, Russia and the US.

The experimental thermonuclear fusion reactor, also dubbed as the "artificial sun" since it would give off energy by a similar principle as the sun, aims to use fusion power as a sustainable energy source, according to the official website of ITER.

"The Hydrogen bomb is based on thermonuclear fusion, but it releases huge amounts of uncontrollable energy. Today's nuclear plants are based on nuclear fission," Zhou Dadi, deputy director of the China Energy Research Society with the National Development and Reform Commission, told the Global Times on Sunday, noting that no thermonuclear fusion has been harnessed by mankind before.

The challenge of controlling a fusion reaction comes from how to deal with the extreme heat as intense as the sun, Han Xiaoping, chief analyst at energy industry website china5e.com, told the Global Times on Sunday, adding that the components, together with other parts, aim to achieve that.

Thermonuclear fusion technology can potentially provide infinite energy with zero pollution, said Han, noting that a fusion reactor would not release harmful radiation, while fission reactors nowadays face the risk of contamination.

China has invested 4 billion yuan ($625 million) in the ITER project in the past 10 years, reported Xinhua in January.

China has had controllable fusion in mind for decades as it may one day solve the problem of energy sustainability for all mankind, asserted Han.

The reactor is planned to be powered on for the first time in December 2025.

"It is important to develop thermonuclear fusion technology, but it is still too soon to expect it to be put into commercial use," Lin Boqiang, director of the China Center for Energy Economics Research at Xiamen University, told the Global Times on Sunday.Move comes at expense of US-based Westinghouse

An overview of the Tianwan Nuclear Plant in East China's Jiangsu Province Photo: VCG

Russia's third-generation VVER-1200 nuclear technology will soon make its way into the Chinese market, after a deal was signed between Chinese and Russian companies. The Russian advance could be at the expense of US nuclear firm Westinghouse Electric Co, depriving the latter of a contract worth an estimated 80 billion yuan ($12.5 billion).

China National Nuclear Corp (CNNC) and Russian state nuclear company Rosatom agreed to build a total of four VVER-1200 nuclear reactors at the Tianwan Nuclear Plant in East China's Jiangsu Province and Xudapu nuclear plant in Northeast China's Liaoning Province as part of a 20-billion-yuan nuclear deal, according to a statement posted on the website of CNNC on Friday.

Media reports said on Saturday that the No.3 and No.4 reactors at the Xudapu plant will use Russian technology and construction of them might start before reactors No. 1 and No.2 that will use the AP1000 technology designed by Westinghouse. That means Rosatom has taken a big chunk of the market originally designated for Westinghouse. The Xudapu plant has plans to accommodate six 1 million kilowatt reactors.

"The price tag for a 1 million kilowatt third-generation AP1000 reactor is about 20 billion yuan," Wang Dezhong, a professor specializing in nuclear-related technology at the School of Mechanical Engineering under Shanghai Jiao Tong University, told the Global Times Sunday.

This means Westinghouse could lose out on a deal worth 80 billion yuan if it doesn't get the contract for the four remaining reactors.

Wang noted that choosing the same technological route for most of the reactors in one nuclear plant would offer a lot of operational convenience.

However, there are exceptions to this approach. "Qinshan Nuclear Plant in East China's Zhejiang Province hosts reactors with various different capacities and technological routes," Wang said.

The Sanmen Nuclear Plant in Zhejiang, the first in the world to host AP1000 technology, has been hit by delays, which could bankrupt it, experts warned.

Lin Boqiang, director of the China Center for Energy Economics Research at Xiamen University, said the possible loss of the contract for Westinghouse is probably not a result of trade tension between the US and China, as Westinghouse is bankrupt. Japan's Toshiba Corp is currently in the process of trying to find a buyer for Westinghouse.

"Energy is a key part of Sino-US trade ties, but nuclear cooperation is too time-consuming for the Trump administration, which is eager to see quick results," Lin said.

The application of the VVER-1200 technology will add to China's status as a test ground for the world's third-generation nuclear technologies, and put the Russian technology in competition with homegrown third-generation Hualong One technology, as well as Westinghouse and Europe-based Orano.

As of November 1, 2017, the number of nuclear power units in operation in the mainland has reached 37, ranking third globally, according to data from the Chinese National Energy Administration. China also has 19 nuclear power units under construction and the combined installed capacity from both categories will be 57.5 million kilowatts.

If China still hosts the AP1000 technology at Xudapu, it would be beneficial for the US, Lin said.

"However, both AP1000 and [Orano's] EPR have proved costly to build, and nuclear energy in China is facing strong competition from other clean energy sources such as wind and solar power," Lin said.

The Russian route will also have to prove its cost effectiveness, Lin noted. Three reactors in China use Russian technology and have a good safety record, according to CNNC.Chinese President Xi Jinping on Sunday delivered a speech at a large-scale meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit in Qingdao in Chinas eastern Shandong Province.

The below is key points in his remarks on issues concerning regional cooperation and world order:

When Confucius looks down from the peak of the Dongshan Mountain, the local Kingdom of Lu comes into view; when he looks down from the peak of the Mount Tai, the whole land comes into view. At a time when the world is undergoing major developments, transformation, and adjustment, it is necessary to aim high and look far.

While hegemony and power politics still persist in the world, the growing call for a more just and equitable international order must be heeded. Democracy in international relations is an unstoppable trend of the times.

While various traditional and non-traditional security threats keep emerging, the force for peace will prevail, and security and stability are what people long for.

Unilateralism, trade protectionism and backlash against globalization are taking new forms, the pursuit of cooperation for mutual benefit represents a surging trend in this global village where countries' interests and future are interconnected

Diversity of civilizations sustains human progress, and mutual learning between different cultures is a shared aspiration of all peoples.

We should reject the Cold War mentality and confrontation between blocks and oppose the practices of seeking absolute security of oneself at the expense of the security of other countries, so as to achieve security of all.

We should reject self-centered, short-sighted and closed-door policies. We should uphold WTO rules and support the multilateral trading system so as to build an open world economy.

Equality, mutual learning, dialogue and inclusiveness between cultures should be championed, so that we overcome cultural misunderstanding, clash and supremacy through exchanges, mutual learning and coexistence.

We should enhance mutual understanding by putting ourselves in others' positions and boost harmony and unity by seeking common ground and setting aside differences.Folk artist Zhang Bin makes dough figurines in an intangible cultural heritage fair in Shenyang, capital of northeast China's Liaoning Province, June 9, 2018. Activities were held around China to celebrate the Cultural and Natural Heritage Day on Saturday. (Xinhua/Yao Jianfeng)The 18th Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit opened its curtain on Saturday evening in Qingdao, east Chinas Shandong Province, bringing its stakeholders towards a gorgeous future based on its three pillars of security, economic and cultural cooperation.

The splendid light and fireworks show, carrying a wish for the organizations bright prospects, brightened the night sky of the beautiful coastal city renowned for its scenery and beer.

Guided by the Shanghai Spirit, our organization has delivered fruitful outcomes in security, economic and cultural cooperation and made historic strides in institution-building. Chinese President Xi Jinping stressed the organizations extraordinary journey and blueprint at his address during the welcoming dinner.

Today, with eight member states, four observer states and six dialogue partners, the SCO has become an important force for upholding regional security, promoting common development and improving global governance. he added.

Security cooperation has been high on SCOs agenda. The first press conference for this years summit held on Thursday was rightly about such topics.

Over the past years, the SCO member states have made eye-catching achievements in cooperation of drug prohibition, border defense and information security, Liao Jinrong, head of the international cooperation department with the Ministry of Public Security told the press, adding that hundreds of premeditated terrorist attacks were thwarted by such cooperation.

During the Qingdao Summit, heads of state from the members are expected to approve the three-year outline for cooperation on combating terrorism, separatism and extremism from 2019 to 2021.

A joint appeal by SCO heads of state to young people and its action plan, which aim to prevent the young people from engagement of terrorism and extremism, are planned to be adopted as well.

All of these efforts, which are of great significance to regional security and stability, will help pass on the torch of peace from generation to generation.

Economic cooperation has injected inexhaustible energy into SCOs development, with China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative an epitome of such endeavor by the member states.

Kyrgyzstan was one of the first countries to support and participate into the Belt and Road Initiative and related construction, Xi said when meeting with Kyrgyz President Sooronbay Jeenbekov who is now in China for the SCO summit.

China would like to make joint efforts with Kyrgyzstan to open minds and explore potentials to lift bilateral cooperation to a new level, the president pledged.

The Chinese president, when holding talks with Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev, pointed out that in the past five years, the cooperation between China and Kazakhstan in building the Belt and Road has entered a new stage of deep integration and mutual promotion.

With concerted efforts, cooperation between China and Russia in various areas has maintained a strong momentum, and the integration of mutual interests has deepened constantly, Xi told his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.

The two sides have reaped important early harvests in aligning the Belt and Road Initiative with the Eurasian Economic Union, Xi noted.

Cultural exchanges among the SCO members also add glamour to civilization. Xi, together with Nazarbayev, on Thursday met the members of the cast of Composer, the first movie co-produced by China and Kazakhstan.

They also watched the trailer of the film that tells the rarely known life story of the late Chinese composer Xian Xinghai in Kazakhstan in 1940s and his friendship with Kazakh composer Bakhitzhan Baykadamov.

The touching story happened 70-plus years ago proves that the SCO members, who are close in both geographic location and peoples bonds, have great potential in enlarging cultural exchanges, bridging hearts and bolstering civilization dialogues.

The security cooperation who serves as a foundation, along with the pragmatic economic cooperation who expands the organizations development space, and the cultural collaboration who connects civilizations, will work as three pillars and three wheels to drive the SCO towards prosperous development.

The Qingdao summit is believed to further pool consensus and take SCO to the track of building a community of shared future for the mankind.Qingdao, a beautiful coastal city, is ready to greet guests from afar for the 18th Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit scheduled for June 9 and 10.

The city uses the venue for the sailing events at the 2008 Beijing Olympics as the conference hall of summit. The renovated building, signifying flying to chase dreams and setting sail to pilot the route, also stands ready for the event.

The summit, the first after India and Pakistan were accepted as full members in June 2017, will be chaired by Chinese President Xi Jinping. The new summit in the new era will be a new gathering to pursue dreams and a new milestone in the development of the SCO.

The summit is a combination of history and new vitality. Qingdao, a city deeply nurtured by the Qilu culture, is pooling the SCO wisdom.

The Confucian culture advocates peaceful coexistence and harmony in diversity, while the Shanghai Spirit features mutual trust, mutual benefit, equality, consultation, respect for diverse civilizations, and pursuit of common development.

The alignment of the long and splendid Chinese civilization and the concept of innovation have enriched the cultural connotation of the SCO.

It is universally recognized that Chinas new development concept of innovation, coordination, green development, opening up and sharing has provided useful experiences for the SCO member countries.

It is also a consensus that the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative is propelling regional integration and boosting the cooperation among the SCO member states.

The SCO summit is the bursting of a new momentum. As SCO Secretary-General Rashid Alimov has pointed out, the SCO grows stronger because of openness and inclusiveness and becomes more open and inclusive as it prospers and expands.

From 6 member states to 8 member states, 4 observer states and 6 dialogue partners, the SCO is progressing on a wider path, yielding more pragmatic cooperation achievements and producing vast international influence.

With the inclusion of Pakistan and India, the eight-member group now accounts for more than 60 percent of the Eurasian landmass and nearly half of the world's population. It becomes a comprehensive regional organization with the largest geographic and demographic coverage, bearing more expectations of people from its member states and the international community.

The ever-growing SCO now has enhanced cohesion, more effective actions and rising influence, which will add certainties and inject positive energy to regional and global development and prosperity.

The SCO summit is also a solemn start of a new journey. The unity of knowing and doing produces successes. The summit plays an irreplaceable leading role in bolstering unity and mutual trust, and deepening all-round cooperation among SCO members.

After taking over the SCO rotating presidency at a new historic starting point, China has hosted more than 160 activities to elevate political mutual trust to a new high, seek new progress on security collaboration, produce new breakthroughs in pragmatic cooperation and yield new results from cultural exchanges, laying a solid foundation for the success of the Qingdao summit.

During the summit, leaders of the SCO member states will jointly sign and issue the Qingdao Declaration and adopt more than 10 documents to strengthen cooperation on security, economy and cultural exchanges. The 17-year-old SCO will present a more energetic image.

The summit absorbs the cultural significance of unity and pools its wisdom for development, making the world expect more from it.

China will make best efforts to fulfill the task and work with all other parties to give our people a greater sense of ownership and usher in an even brighter future for the SCO, President Xi said at the 17th SCO summit.

As the 18th SCO summit arrives in Qingdao, Xis solemn commitment is reverberating in the city of blue seas and green mountains. The new summit held in the new era will make the SCO cooperation more prosperous and bring more happiness to people.People surf the internet in Nanjing Future Network Town, East China's Jiangsu province, May 10, 2017. [Photo/VCG]

Fake news is the source of global calamity. Google, Facebook and Twitter are under fire in the United States for spreading fake news and wrong information. Fake news began appearing before the 2016 US election.

China, too, is suffering the consequences of fake news. Thanks to the huge number of internet users and information explosion, fake news is rampant. According to the China Internet Network Information Center report of January 2018, the number of mobile phone users in China reached 753 million. And a QuestMobile report shows an average netizen's reliance on mobile internet had dramatically increased to 273.2 minutes a day by March 2018.

Fake news in reference to social aspects of China accounts for more than half of the total (56 percent) social media reports, says a report from People.cn. Data analysis reveal fake news involving personal security, food safety, healthcare, and social ethics account for about 75 percent of the total fake news in the social field.

Social media is the primary source of fake news. A lot of fake news is published in "self-media" and social media, and by re-reporting it, the traditional media cause a deluge of fake news, which weakens the credibility and influence of the professional media as a whole.

That's why the Chinese government is sternly cracking down on fake news. Its aim is to build a clean and positive information network ecology.

The Cyberspace Administration of China has been continuously fighting online fake news, as well as unverified publication. The CAC issued a notice in 2016 to further strengthen management, in order to stop the proliferation of fake news. It requires every website to adhere to the given guideline to ensure their news reports are authentic, comprehensive, objective and fair. The notice also forbids media outlets to blindly quote unconfirmed content posted on social media platforms, and strictly regulate the editing and compiling process on media network platforms, including mobile news application, Weibo and WeChat.

The Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, China's top legislature, passed the Cybersecurity Law in November 2016, which came into effect in June 2017. Its aim is to prevent service providers from illegally obtaining user information or controlling user devices, so as to check "unequal competition and unlawful profits".

According to statistics, National Internet Information System officials interviewed 2003 website companies in accordance with the Cybersecurity Law in 2017, suspended 1,370 websites and permanently "blocked" a batch of "self-media" accounts with "vulgar content".

Complaints against false advertisements and vulgar content of apps have been rising in recent years. But several Chinese internet giants are shouldering their responsibilities by using a combination of technology and content authorization to minimize fake news.

WeChat launched a mini-program called "WeChat Anti-rumor Assistant" in June 2017, which helps users to check whether an article is a rumor or not based on their reading records. Since the establishment of the anti-rumor mechanism, the WeChat Official Account Platform has invited a number of professional third-party institutions to strengthen the anti-rumor mechanism and has accumulated tens of thousands of samples of rumor.

Among the agencies that have joined the anti-rumor center are mainstream media outlets, national internet police, and professional WeChat accounts of users from industries such as healthcare, science and technology, agriculture, food and telecommunications.

The WeChat team issued the"2018 WeChat Rumor Governance Report" in March, saying the WeChat anti-rumor center, its WeChat official account, and the "WeChat Anti-rumor Assistant" mini-program work together to refute rumors, and disseminated about 490 million pieces of information on science among about 140 million users last year.

Some other Chinese internet giants are also working to counter fake news. Baidu launched its anti-rumor platform in September 2017, and announced that 372 cyber police accounts from across the country have joined it. Baidu hopes to use innovation and cooperative sharing to create China's largest rumor and anti-rumor database through the platform. A search on Baidu will probably show you a rumor marked "rumor" in the results.

Weibo has the capability to tag misinformation, and launched this feature in April 2012, four years before Facebook. And it has a special regulation on restricting display, marking and deleting, that includes banning or even sealing an account.

President Xi Jinping has called for keenly grasping the historic opportunity to develop "informationization" in order to build China's strength in cyberspace. Internet media should disseminate positive information and guide public opinion and values toward the right direction. They should also make efforts to enhance self-discipline of the online industry and mobilize all sectors to participate in cyberspace governance.

Xi has also said that it is the common aspiration of the people to promote the reform of the global cyberspace governance system by sticking to a multilateral approach with multi-party participation, from the government, international organizations, internet enterprises, tech groups, non-governmental organizations and individuals.

And that is the best way to counter fake news.Chinese President Xi Jinping (center) welcomes foreign leaders to the 18th Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit and has photos taken with them on Sunday in Qingdao, East China's Shandong Province. Photo: Xinhua

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) will expand international interactions and cooperation as nations face common threats and challenges, Chinese President Xi Jinping said Sunday.

SCO members will uphold the authority and efficacy of WTO rules, strengthen an open, inclusive, transparent, non-discriminatory and rules-based multilateral trading system, and oppose trade protectionism of any form, said Xi.

Xi made the remarks at a joint press conference of the 18th SCO summit in Qingdao, a coastal city in East China's Shandong Province.

Several documents were issued during the summit, including the Qingdao Declaration of the Council of Heads of Member States of the SCO, and the Joint Statement of the Heads of Member States of the SCO on Promoting Trade Facilitation.

Pointing out that unilateralism, trade protectionism and backlash against globalization are taking new forms, Xi said the pursuit of cooperation for mutual benefit represents a surging trend when countries' interests and future are interconnected.

Xi's remarks have renewed the Shanghai Spirit as the bloc enters a new phase after 17 years of development, Deng Hao, secretary general of the China Center for SCO Studies, told the Global Times on Sunday.

"The president has clarified the future of the bloc with specific undertakings outlined in security, economics, people-to-people exchanges and other sectors. The summit also helped build confidence among member states in a world full of challenges and uncertainties," said Deng.

New beginning, greater mission

Though SCO is not the only multilateral platform that stresses respect for diversity and joint development, it is the best practitioner of uplifting spirits, Pan Guang, a research fellow at the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Sunday.

During the summit, China announced the future establishment of a 30-billion-yuan ($4.7 billion) special lending facility within the framework of the Inter-Bank Consortium of the SCO.

"The summit is also a great chance to enhance multilateral cooperation among Belt and Road initiative member nations and organizations," said Pan.

In the first quarter of 2018, trade between China and other SCO members jumped 20.7 percent year-on-year.

China's combined investment in other SCO member countries reached $84 billion by the first quarter of 2018, and many large energy, mining and industrial projects are progressing smoothly, the Xinhua News Agency reported on Sunday.

The organization will also promote counter-terrorism intelligence exchanges and joint actions, strengthen legal foundation and capacity building, effectively combat terrorism, separatism, extremism, drug trafficking, transnational organized crime and cyber crime, and leverage the role of the SCO-Afghanistan Contact Group, Xi added.

Regional security is crucial for the smooth implementation of the Belt and Road initiative and other strategies, while people-to-people exchanges, especially among younger generations, is the foundation for the bloc's future vitality, said Pan.

As SCO's influence grows beyond the member states, other countries that have expressed interest in joining the organization, such as Syria and Israel, could also join future dialogues in flexible manners, such as being guest countries in summits, said Pan.

The bloc is now responsible for a grander mission of promoting a fair and just global order, Deng noted.

This is the fourth time the summit has been held in China, a founding member and the cradle of the bloc.

The event attracted over 400 foreign and domestic reporters. Among the over 300 mostly university student volunteers at the media center of the summit, many have expressed a feeling of pride for the organization.

"I have never had such a strong feeling that China's soft power is winning the country more and more influence, and I feel so proud," Luan Kaili, a junior at Qingdao University and a volunteer of the summit, told the Global Times on Sunday.

Enthusiasm is also easily found on Chinese social media, as #SCOsummit has attracted over 380 million page views as of press time.A colorful and spectacular fireworks display took place at the SCO Summit in Qingdao Saturday night. Photo from Peoples Daily Online

The issuing of the Qingdao Declaration marked the end of a fruitful Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit. A series of landmark achievements has been made: The proposal put forward by Chinese President Xi Jinping to build an SCO community with a shared future was welcomed by leaders of all participating countries; China will set up a 30-billion-yuan ($4.7 billion) equivalent special lending facility within the framework of the Inter-Bank Consortium of the SCO; India and Pakistan attended the summit as full members for the first time. These developments shored up the significance of the Qingdao summit.

Why did the G7 summit end in disarray, with US President Trump calling Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau "dishonest and weak" on Twitter while the SCO summit was full of enthusiasm and ambition? The key lies in that the Shanghai Spirit, featuring mutual trust, mutual benefit, equality, consultation, respect for cultural diversity and pursuit of common development, echoes the theme of the era, in which unilateralism can hardly prevail.

International public opinion dominated by the West was skeptical about the SCO in the past. However, during the Qingdao summit, serious analysis and positive evaluation of the SCO have emerged. On the other hand, the G7 summit drew extensive criticism. This is an important change.

Shanghai Spirit is showing strong vigor as a new principle of international relations. It doesn't follow geopolitical competition, but stands for human society's new thinking regarding global governance in the 21st century. World diversity is such that it is unrealistic to standardize the 200-plus countries and regions under one political and value system. Shanghai Spirit offers a feasible solution to support globalization.

Bigotry of a few Western countries has resulted in emerging countries in Eurasia to explore a new, adaptable type of international cooperation. This may be a factor in SCO's recent and future continuous growth. The SCO has been established for only 17 years, but its member states have formed a consensus on the principles of the organization, course for expansion, and built up a collective confidence and pride. The organization has also garnered more positive external evaluation. Enabling it to exert greater influence on the region and the world will be a tremendous contribution of all member states made to the global governance.

Can big and small countries cooperate on an equal footing? Can countries with different value systems co-exist under a stable framework? Can countries at various political and economic development stages work out constructive solutions together? These are imperative questions for contemporary international relations.

The SCO is seeking answers to these questions. Surprising to many, the answers it has offered are positive and encouraging. It is inclusive to interests of all member states.

It's fair to say major countries such as China and Russia have exerted a constructive influence on the organization. The SCO serves common interests of member states instead of being a political tool of a few countries. It doesn't target any other power but is an open international cooperation group that should be supported by the global community. The outside world should encourage exploration carried out by this platform.An ambitious African Center for Disease Prevention and Control building project and bilateral cooperation in the health sector are set for implementation as China cement its commitment to the continent through the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation.

Following an outbreak of Ebola, China committed to establish the African CDC.

Apart from sending health specialists to the center, the Chinese Government through this public health cooperation provided training to African medical specialists in China.

Chinas National Health Commission revealed last week that they will design several buildings which include a laboratory and a training center for the headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in pursuit of promises made pertaining to a host of projects lined up.

Deputy Director General in the Department of International Cooperation, Mr. Feng Yong, said the center is one of Chinas key projects to support the African continent in strengthening public health structures.

Under our framework of supporting the African CDC not only are we going to support the infrastructure building but also we would like to also have some public health program with African CDC. The first one is about emergency Infectious Disease Prevention and Control.

The second one is about malaria and the third one is about schistosomasis because we believe in these three areas we have our technology, products and lessons as well.

"We would like to share our lessons with African countries. This is in public health areas, Mr. Feng said.

Since they sent their first medical team to Algeria in 1963, China has assisted a total of 200 million patients globally. Each year there are 1,000 medical experts working in Africa while currently they are assisting 44 African countries.

With such commitment, China will move a notch higher assisting with clinical services with a focus on Hospital Cooperation.

Under this endeavor will be the launch of the Africa-China Hospital Project where countries which have demonstrated strong performance in previous cooperation will receive Chinese medical teams to upgrade support of the locals.

On the backdrop of this project, China will integrate all its support including medical teams, health training and equipment donation for maternal and child health programs.

Further a Sister Hospital Cooperation under which 15 countries have already been benefiting will have five more countries added on the list by the end of this year.

Through this project hospitals that are not in good condition will be refurbished and assisted with technical services with doctors and nurses being invited to China for training.

Zimbabwe is one of the 15 benefiting countries of the Sister Hospital Cooperation specifically in the area of urology. In addition it is also among the seven countries receiving assistance under the Maternal and Child Health Projects.

This program will focus on Speciality Cooperation. For example in Kenya we have China-Kenya Friendship Hospital and we will focus our support on neurology.

And we would like to significantly increase the technical level of neurological care in the hospital within three years. So the sister project will focus on specialized areas like neurology, gynecology, obstetrical operations, Mr. Feng added.

Beijing is already gearing up for the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation which is slated for September. And the National Health Commission in its bid to present substantive proposals on the cooperation with Africa will hold its own high level meeting a month earlier.

Mr. Feng said they will invite experts and high level officials in areas of disease prevention and control from Africa as well as international organizations.

Under the New Era of China-Africa Cooperation and Common Development put forward by President Xi Jinping, the second largest economy in the world states that it will help Africa strengthen its public health prevention and control system.

The China-Africa Public Health program is one of the ten initiatives to be implemented by China to build a comprehensive strategic and cooperative partnership.

Since 2015 China has also donated anti-malaria drugs and refurbished 27 hospitals in African countries.

They also played a critical role through supporting health emergency response for instance in 2014 when they supported Ebola prevention and control in West African countries like Kenya, Liberia and Sierra Leone.

In 2016 the Chinese Government assisted in controlling yellow fever in Angola.

Further, last week they also sent public health experts to support the Democratic Republic of Congo with vaccines and laboratory testing services as the southern-African country is experiencing a resurgence of the Ebola outbreak.

In addition, last year China provided training for more than 1,000 health workers in African countries. The health workers went through a short term course consisting of health policy, prevention and treatment of infectious diseases among other programs.

As the FOCAC Summit approaches expectation is high to review work that has been done since the last meeting held in South Africa in 2015 while also mapping a progressive future ahead.

Fatima Bulla is a journalist with The Sunday Mail-ZimbabweA Chinese railway expert has said that China could develop a super high-speed rail from Shanghai to Hangzhou in the next 10 years, cctv.com reported.

High-speed trains in China currently run at up to 420 kilometers per hour, with the test speed at 486 kilometers per hour. To operate at test speed, the issue of reducing noise and vibration needs further investigation, said He Huawu, vice president of the Chinese Academy of Engineering.

He said Chinese experts who created the complicated high-speed railway system have seen it go from nothing to a strong player worldwide. However, they are still working on remaining issues to make sure that they do not fall behind.

Chinese experts experienced foreign high-speed railways and undersea tunnels in the 20th century and decided to produce their own high-speed railways using Chinese technologies.GUIYANG, June 11 -- Twenty-four people were seriously injured in a natural gas pipeline explosion in southwest China's Guizhou Province Sunday night, local authorities said Monday.

Gas leaked from a section of the gas pipeline operated by PetroChina in Shazi town of Qinglong county and then caused an explosion and fire at about 11:20 p.m. Sunday, the county government said.

The pipeline was automatically shut down after the explosion and the fire was put out at 2:30 a.m. Monday.

No deaths have been found. Of the 24 hospitalized, eight were in critical condition and 16 in serious condition, but the injuries were no life threatening.

Local rescuers were still searching to see if there are more casualties.

An investigation into the gas leak is under way.SINGAPORE, June 11 -- Top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) Kim Jong Un and U.S. President Donald Trump will meet in Singapore on Tuesday for a landmark summit, the first between incumbent leaders of both countries since the end of the 1950-53 Korean War.

Denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula is expected to top the agenda of the much-anticipated Kim-Trump summit.

Here is a brief review of the nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula.

The nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula surfaced in the early 1990s, when the United States, based on its satellite information, suspected that the DPRK had facilities for the development of nuclear weapons.

Pyongyang denied the allegation, saying it had neither the intention nor the capability to develop nuclear weapons. It also criticized the Washington for deploying nuclear weapons in South Korea, which it said posed a threat to the its security.

From May 1992 to February 1993, the DPRK accepted six irregular inspections by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the nuclear nonproliferation watchdog affiliated to the United Nations (UN).

Under the Framework Agreement signed in Geneva in October 1994, Pyongyang agreed to freeze its nuclear program in exchange for the construction of light-water reactors and fuel oil provided by a U.S.-led Korean Peninsula Energy Development Organization to make up for the shortage in electricity in the DPRK due to the suspension of its nuclear plan.

In October 2002, the United States said the DPRK had admitted that it had a program to enrich uranium after U.S. special envoy James Kelly visited the country. The DPRK responded by claiming that it had the right to develop nuclear weapons and weapons even more powerful.

In December 2002, the United States stopped shipping fuel oil deliveries to the DPRK, citing violation by the DPRK of the Geneva accord. In response, the DPRK announced an end to its nuclear freeze, removed from the frozen nuclear facilities the seals and monitoring cameras installed by the IAEA and restarted the nuclear facilities used for producing electricity.

Moreover, the DPRK released a statement in January 2003, announcing its withdrawal from the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty while claiming it had no intention of developing nuclear weapons.

Also in 2003, the Chinese government brokered the six-party talks involving China, the DPRK, the United States, South Korea, Russia and Japan.

The first round of the six-party talks on the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue was held in Beijing in August 2003, in which the principle of peacefully resolving the nuclear issue through negotiations had been established.

On Sept. 19, 2005, the six parties wrapped up their fourth round of talks with a joint statement in which the six parties unanimously reaffirmed the goal of verifiable denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula in a peaceful manner.

In the statement, the DPRK "committed to abandoning all nuclear weapons and existing nuclear programs" but insisted on its right to peaceful uses of nuclear energy.

The United States affirmed that it had no nuclear weapons on the Korean Peninsula and had no intention of attacking or invading the DPRK with nuclear or conventional weapons. South Korea reaffirmed its commitment not to receive or deploy nuclear weapons on the Korean Peninsula and promised there existed no nuclear weapons within its territory.

On Feb. 13, 2007, the third phase of the fifth round of the six-party talks ended in Beijing with a joint statement on the first step toward the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. In July, the DPRK closed and sealed its nuclear facilities in Yongbyon.

In November 2007, the DPRK began to disable three nuclear facilities in Yongbyon. However, the agreement reached on Oct. 3 had not been effectively implemented due to a divergence on the nuclear declaration between the DPRK and the United States

In June 2008, the DPRK destroyed the cooling tower at its Yongbyon nuclear complex, marking a symbolic step toward denuclearization.

On April 5, 2009, the DPRK carried out a rocket launch, raising serious concern of various sides.

The UN Security Council on April 13 adopted a presidential statement on the April 5 launch by the DPRK, saying it is "in contravention of Security Council resolution 1718" and urging the early resumption of the six-party talks.

Pyongyang subsequently announced it was quitting the six-party talks on nuclear disarmament and would restart nuclear facilities in protest of the UN statement.

On May 23, 2009, the DPRK announced it has successfully conducted the second underground nuclear test since 2006.

The test prompted UN Security Council Resolution 1874, which voiced "the strongest condemnation" against the DPRK authorities and demanded that the country stop further nuclear weapons-related activities.

On Jan. 6, 2016, the DPRK carried out its fourth nuclear test, alleged to be a successful test of its first hydrogen bomb.

In response, South Korea decided to stop operations at the Kaesong industrial complex jointly run with the two Koreas. In March 2006, the UN Security Council adopted a resolution imposing new sanctions on Pyongyang to curb its nuclear and missile programs.

The DPRK's fifth nuclear test on Sept. 9, 2016, triggered tougher sanctions from the UN Security Council.

On Sept. 3, 2017, the DPRK claimed it successfully detonated a hydrogen bomb capable of being carried by an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).

Relations between Seoul and Pyongyang took a U turn since the start of 2018, rekindling the hope for a lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula.

In March 2018, Chung Eui-yong, South Korean President Moon Jae-in's top national security adviser, said the DPRK showed willingness to hold talks with the United States over denuclearization of the peninsula.

According to decisions made by the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea, the DPRK said it will suspend its nuclear and ICBM tests from April 21.

On April 27, Kim Jong Un and Moon Jae-in confirmed their shared goal of realizing a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula through complete denuclearization in a declaration issued after their summit meeting at the truce village of Panmunjom.

The DPRK dismantled its Punggye-ri nuclear test site in the northeastern part of the country on May 24 ahead of the DPRK-U.S. summit scheduled for June 12 in Singapore.The third batch of female fighter jet pilots will soon begin their service with the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force, after graduating from the PLA Air Force Harbin Flight Academy.

A total of 38 female high school graduates were recruited for the pilot training program, after being selected from hundreds of thousands of applicants. All of them scored highly in the college entrance exam, and have passed the strict physical examination which includes more than 100 tests.

Its a one-in-a-million pick, but it doesnt mean an end to your worries is the message female cadets were given following their recruitment. The program has an intense selection process that saw about two thirds of candidates eliminated by August last year.

The cadets remind themselves, You have to forget about your gender if you want to improve your performance.

A cadet named Wang Yan told Beijing Morning Post that she has to complete a 10-kilometer run, two 3-kilometer runs, two 1.5-kilometer runs and multiple 400-meter runs on a daily basis. In addition, she has to cover plenty of other physical training including parallel bars and practicing how to body-roll.

Apart from physical training, the cadets also face complicated and intricate theoretical studies. They have to finish nearly 20 courses on aviation theory before they begin real flight training.

The most difficult part about their training is that the requirements are the same for female and male cadets. Though the male cadets are physically stronger, the girls never back down, said Li Kui, one of the trainers at the academy.

The female cadets have to fly seven hours and complete 20 take-offs and landings each day. But I have never seen them complaining, said a trainer named Zheng Qiang.

The role of a fighter jet pilot is a high-risk job, as these female cadets have known since they first registered for the program, and they are aware of future challenges.

My mother was worried about me when I first enrolled, saying it's not a suitable job for a girl, but she has now changed her mind and is proud of me, said Liu Yang, who will graduate soon.Chinas new multi-warhead intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) Dongfeng-41 is among the worlds most advanced missiles, military expert Shao Yongling recently told Peoples Daily Online.

The photo circulating on the internet shows equipment suspected to be Dongfeng-41

According to foreign media, officials from the U.S. Department of Defense revealed China's launch of the Dongfeng -41 intercontinental missile on May 27. The Dongfeng-41 missile launched a number of warheads and hit targets of the Western China range.

Shao said that if the report is true, the Dongfeng-41 is now combat ready.

Currently, China has two major ICBMs, Dongfeng-5 and Dongfeng-31. Dongfeng-5 is a silo-based liquid-propellant missile, and it is able to accommodate multiple re-entry vehicles. Dongfeng-31 is a mobile launcher based missile that is propelled by solid fuel.

According to Shao, the Dongfeng-5 has a larger load and lethality, but responds more slowly because of its liquid-fuel system, and the Dongfeng-31 runs faster but has a lower lethality than the Dongfeng-5.

The new ICBM Dongfeng-41 combines the advantages of the above two missiles, and is able to perform strikes with more precision and efficiency.

Shao said that the independently-targeted multiple warheads can improve lethality and penetration of the missiles, and are able to attack multiple targets simultaneously.The Chinese embassy in Hanoi warned its citizens of security after protests against a government plan to set up new economic zones for foreign investment.

The embassy posted a notice on its website referring to the protests as "illegal gatherings" that had included some "anti-China content".

The Chinese embassy in Hanoi warned its citizens of security after protests against a government plan to set up new economic zones for foreign investment.[Screenshot: china-embassy.org]

"The Chinese embassy in Vietnam is paying close attention to the relevant developments and reminds Chinese citizens in Vietnam to pay attention to security when traveling," the notice said.

Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan, chairwoman of the Assembly, said the protesters might have misunderstood the nature of the bill.

"People should stay calm, believe in the decisions of the party and the state, especially in the fact that the National Assembly is always listening to the people's opinions when discussing the bills," Ngan said.

Vietnam's National Assembly, the country's top legislature, agreed on Monday not to adopt the draft Law on Special Administrative and Economic Units of Van Don, Bac Van Phong, and Phu Quoc at its ongoing fifth session.

Xinhua News Agency reported that the Government Office on Saturday released an announcement, saying it had asked the National Assembly to delay the approval of the draft law to have more time for research and completion until the next session, Vietnam News Agency reported.

Special cases, that could lease land up to 99 years for production and business in the three special economic zones of Van Don in northern Quang Ninh province, of Bac Van Phong in central Khanh Hoa province, and of Phu Quoc in southern Kien Giang province, will not be regulated in the bill.

The decision was made after the National Assembly and the government took into account many aspects of the issue which caught interests and gathered a lot of ideas from local legislators, people of all walks of life and voters nationwide.

At the ongoing fifth session, legislators, scientists, economists, experts and constituents actively contributed their opinions to the draft law.

More than 100 protesters were arrested and dozens of police injured at protests against the creation of new special economic zones in central Vietnam on Sunday, Reuters reported.Its the 240th anniversary of John Arnold coining the term chronometer this year

I prefer to speak about a commemoration rather than an anniversary. Arnold & Son does not date back to 1764. The brand was established in 1995 so there is quite a gap between the two. So we dont celebrate anniversaries but we commemorate certain dates. In 1778 John Arnold submitted his pocket watch to the Royal Observatory in Greenwich to have its precision tested for marine chronometer certification. The watch passed all the tests and over a year and a half the variation in rate was just two and a half minutes, which is an average of 0.5 seconds per day. The requirements for todays COSC chronometer certificate are between -4 and +6 seconds per day. So Arnolds watch was ten times more precise than the chronometers of today and a thousand times more precise than the pocket watches of the time. Not only was this a huge technological breakthrough at the time, John Arnold even explained what he had done and offered his watch at an affordable price. He was so pleased when he received the confirmation from the Royal Observatory that he wrote a letter explaining his product and how happy he was, referring to the watch as a veritable chronometer. So it was the first pocket watch to be called a chronometer.

What has worked best in the 2018 collection?

We have had some good feedback and confirmed orders, which is very gratifying for us. The Globetrotter has been very well received, especially when we tell people the price. You have a three-dimensional watch with the hemisphere clearly visible that you rarely see anywhere else, except perhaps from some much higher-end brands, and we are offering it for 15,000 Swiss francs. People ask us whether there is a zero missing

Globetrotter  Arnold & Son

One thing that surprised me this year at Baselworld was the apparent total lack of interest among the media for ladies watches. I even had female journalists and bloggers who were not interested in ladies watches! I was astounded and insisted on showing them our ladys watch anyway. But it does make me wonder whether it is worth communicating about such watches, given the lack of interest. I think that the demand is there but you really have to push the watches in order for them to be seen.

Arnold & Son watches are very technical. How do you communicate this and reconcile this with a ladies watch such as the Nebula?

I could harp on about all the technical details of the Nebula but I also encourage you to appreciate the watch for its aesthetics and its symmetry. It is a very beautiful watch; its slender, only 41.5mm in diameter. Yes, it is technical, but also very elegant. There are lot of ladies who are now interested in such watches and have the money to buy them, its just a shame that people dont seem to be interested in talking about them and a shame that so-called influencers seem to be influenced more by their own readers.

Nebula  Arnold & Son

Are you happy with your current production volumes?

Arnold & Son watches are very rare perhaps a little bit too rare. We currently sell around 600 watches per year and I would like to sell more. Given the number of references we have, not many of each individual reference are sold each year. We only sell around 30 of the Nebula per year, for example, so even after ten years there would only be 300 in circulation, which is a drop in the ocean compared to the worlds population, so they will always be rare watches.

We are certainly not a fashion brand, we are a genuine luxury brand. For me, this means that we do not promote our products in the same way as a fashion brand does. A fashion brand has to add a bigger profit margin to the price of its watches because it already knows in advance that it is going to spend a lot on marketing to push the product. Arnold & Son watches, on the other hand, will remain a genuine luxury product, where all the value is in the product itself. We can do this because we dont promote the watches heavily and like to keep this notion of exclusivity. A luxury product that everyone can buy is no longer a luxury product.The first day of Eid El-Fitr will be on Friday

The first day of Eid El-Fitr will be on Friday; however, some films will be released beforehand.

Harb Qarmouz (Karmouz War)

Director: Peter Mimi

Starring: Amir Karara, Ghada Abdelrazek, Mostafa Khater, Mahmoud Hemida

This action-packed film focuses on an Egyptian police officer named Youssef El-Masry. In Alexandrias Karmouz neighborhood during the days of the monarchy, El-Masry tries to save a woman from being raped.

Karma

Director: Khaled Youssef

Starring: Amr Saad, Khaled El-Sawy, Ghada Abdelrazek, Maged El-Masry

A social drama about relationships between people of different religions, with stories parallel and intertwining with each other. A young Muslim man falls in love with a Christian girl and they wed in spite of everyones disapproval. Meanwhile, a businessman becomes tangled in a massive corruption scandal.

Egypts censorship authority has withdrawn the screening permit of the film, a day before its preview screening.

Leila Hana We Sorour (A Night of Bliss and Joy)

Director: Hussein El-Menbawy, Karim El-Mihy

Starring: Mohamed Imam, Yasmine Sabry, Farouk El-Fishawy, Rehab El-Gamal

This comedy action film sees an intelligence officer disguise himself as a businessman named Sorour. He falls for a girl named Hana during a dangerous mission involving a criminal gang.

Alb Ommo (Mamas Boy)

Director: Amr Salah

Starring: Hisham Maged, Shiko, Nour Kadry, Dalal Abdelaziz

A comedy centring on a crime gang boss named Magdy Takhtoukh, who is badly injured during a fight and needs a heart transplant. Meanwhile the mother of a young man named Younis dies. Her heart is given to Takhtoukh, and hence he starts dealing with Younis in a very motherly way.

El-Abla TamTam

Director: Ali Idris

Starring: Yasmine Abdel Aziz, Hamdy El-Merghany, Bayoumi Fouad, Mostafa Abo Sareea

A comedy in which a group of prisoners escape jail through a secret tunnel, only to find themselves in an experimental school. They decide to stay there until they figure out what to do, but Abla Tamtam will make their life harder.

For more arts and culture news and updates, follow Ahram Online Arts and Culture on Twitter at @AhramOnlineArts and on Facebook at Ahram Online: Arts & Culture

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China on Sunday welcomed a temporary ceasefire between the Afghan government and the Taliban, calling for extending ceasefire and resuming peace talks as early as possible.

"We applaud the ceasefire announcements by the Afghan government and the Taliban," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang said in a press release.

The Taliban outfit on Saturday announced a three-day ceasefire with the Afghan government during Eid-ul-Fitr, the annual religious festival, after Afghan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani announced on Thursday observing unilateral seven-day ceasefire that starts from June 12 and covers Eid-ul-Fitr holidays.

Geng expressed hope that the two sides would put their national interests as a priority, extend the ceasefire, restart peace talks as early as possible and advance the reconciliation process in Afghanistan."No bilateral relation has more layers than the India-China relation. The India-China cooperation is deepening and trade among them is growing. Both countries are controlling their divergences maturely and wisely in a bid to jointly preserve peace on their respective borders." Indian Prime Minister Modi gave a keynote speech at the opening ceremony of the Shangri-La Dialogue (SLD) in Singapore on the evening of June 1, 2018, addressing the defense ministers of a dozen countries and senior military officers and scholars from 50 countries.

His speech set a "peaceful tone" for this year's SLD, at which the dramatic turns in the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue and traditional topics like counter terrorism and maritime security received close attention.

A peaceful tone

Modi's speech in Singapore was just what was expected by the delegates. The SLD, the most important annual platform for defense ministers and military personnel in the Asian Pacific region, has been held for 17 years, but the Indian defense minister only attended four of them.

In his speech, Modi talked about a series of geopolitical issues, including the Look East policy, and global and regional security. The reporter noticed that he mentioned China twice, the same amount of times it mentioned the United States. He spoke of India's relation with Russia, the United States and China successively, and his positive comments on China-India relation were the highlight of the speech.

The word "Indo-Pacific" has lately become popular. Military officers in the Western Alliance all hope to bring India into the Indo-Pacific alliance that can contain China, but India has its own opinions.

Modi quoted a Hindi idiom to summarize his Indo-Pacific strategy, signifying the meaning of "there is only one truth, but it can be expressed in different ways" according to Vijay Chauthaiwale, head of the diplomatic policy department of India's ruling party the Bharatiya Janata Party. Modi was expressing his resolve to share in the regional prosperity and order.

"I find Prime Minister Modi's speech constructive. It conveyed friendliness toward China and expectations for the China-India relation," said Lieutenant General He Lei, head of the Chinese military delegation to the Shangri-La Dialogue (SLD) and vice president of China's PLA Academy of Military Sciences.

"In my opinion, India has realized that China is far ahead of them in terms of military, especially economic, strength. Therefore, to maintain its leadership in the region, India has to form a relation of mutual understanding with China," said Syed Munir Khasru, a delegate to the SLD and Chairman of the Institute for Policy, Advocacy, and Governance (IPAG) of Bangladesh, who said in an interview that "China and India don't have to be good friends. They can just be good neighbors."

This was Modi's second visit to Singapore. A few days later, he will meet again with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Putin at the SCO Qingdao Summit.

"A peaceful, stable and prosperous Indian Ocean is in the interests of not only countries and peoples in the region, but also of the major powers. Cooperation is the only choice for major countries in the Indian Ocean," said Senior Colonel Zhao Xiaozhuo, director of the Office of Xiangshan Forum Secretariat and a researcher of the PLA Academy of Military Sciences.

"You saw Prime Minister Modi meet with Xi Jinping in Wuhan, and they will meet again at the SCO Summit in Qingdao this month. India is trying to forge a strategic relation of mutual understanding with China, so that it can focus on economic development and, in a way, properly deal with its relation with Pakistan," said Syed Munir Khasru.

Always ready for changes

The South China Sea issue was an old excuse used by the U.S. to accuse China in previous SLDs. When giving a speech on the morning of June 2, American Defense Minister Mattis pointed finger at China again on this issue, doubting China's objective behind its "South China Sea policy".

In his speech, Mattis emphasized that "countries in the region don't have to take sides between China and the U.S.", but he admitted that the Pentagon will carry out "strong competition" with China on the "South China Sea issue", and claimed that the U.S. will help Taiwan establish suitable defense capability according to the Taiwan Relations Act.

You can never wake up a person pretending to be asleep. Mattis turned a blind eye to the achievements made by China and ASEAN countries in controlling divergences through dialogue and improving the situation in the South China Sea.

After Mattis finished the speech, Senior Colonel Zhao Xiaozhuo from China raised a question about "militarization of the South China Sea", asking that since the so-called "freedom of navigation" operations conducted by American military equipment in the South China Sea violated laws of the host country, wasn't that the real "militarization"?

Mattis argued about the "freedom of navigation" again and reaffirmed America's wish to work with China, adding that he will visit China at the end of June. "The United States will continue to seek a constructive and result-oriented relation with China, and cooperate with it when possible," he said, "any sustainable regional order is impossible without China's engagement".

"Most countries in the world approve of freedom of navigation, but they have different interpretations of this concept in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. China insists that freedom of navigation shouldn't be unilaterally and intentionally distorted to be the 'freedom of military action' that harms the interests and security of countries along the coast." Lieutenant General He Lei explained China's South China Sea policy and assertions and criticized the operations of American military aircraft and vessels as the root cause for "South China Sea militarization".

All major countries attach great importance to the Indian Ocean because of its strategic significance. They both cooperate and compete in the region.

According to Senior Colonel Zhou Bo, director of the Security Center in the Office of International Military Cooperation under China's Ministry of National Defense, any new initiative must be more transparent, inclusive and open and promote the win-win cooperation of all parties, including the Indo-Pacific concept put forth by the United States. Otherwise, it won't be recognized by the parties and will end up short-lived without any support.

One sentence said by Mattis was most impressive - China and the U.S. will "cooperate where possible, compete where we must".

"The recent signs indicate that the U.S. may adopt a more aggressive stance on regional security this year." Associate professor Li Mingjiang from the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies of Nanyang Technological University expressed concerns over Mattis' speech.

"On May 27, two Aegis warships - USS Antietam and USS Higgins - entered China's territorial sea near Xisha Islands without the Chinese government's permission. China not being invited to the 2018 RIMPAC multilateral military exercise was just an initial reaction," Li Mingjiang added.

On May 31, an American B52 bomber entered China's airspace over the South China Sea, approached the Dongsha Islands and even got close to the open waters near China's Guangdong Province. It only turned back and flew to the air force base in Guam after China drove it away. This was the third infringement on China's airspace over the South China Sea by B52 within 12 days.

"America's military aircraft and vessels carried out close-in reconnaissance and military operations in the sea areas and airspace of Chinese islands and reefs, and even flaunted their force within 12 nautical miles of Chinese maritime features. That's far beyond the scope of freedom of navigation. It's a disruption of China's security and stability." Lieutenant General He Lei considered it as a provocation to China's sovereignty.

But the blatant threat of force was just an appetizer for Mattis, while his deeper calculations were hidden in the seemingly normal military adjustment. On May 30, 2018, two days before attending the SLD in Singapore, Mattis chaired the ceremony in Hawaii for renaming the US Pacific Command to US Indo-Pacific Command and changing its commander.

Greg Austin, a researcher at America's East West Institute, said in an interview that the U.S. is probably not as strong and hands-on as before.

Mattis called on China's neighbors to reshape their role in the Indo-Pacific region.

According to Richard Javad Heydarian, assistant professor of international affairs and politics at Philippines' De La Salle University, Modi and Mattis put forth two different versions of "Indo-Pacific region". Modi thought it is defined by middle countries like India, Japan and Australia while Mattis believed it is still the arena for major powers.

"The Asia-Pacific region will only be relatively stable when the China-U.S. relation is relatively stable. China advocates no conflict, no confrontation, mutual respect and win-win cooperation with the U.S., which is not only beneficial for bilateral relations, but also makes considerations for the Asian-Pacific and global security," said Senior Colonel Zhou Bo.

But he added that in the past one year or so, the U.S. has not only intensified aircraft and vessel reconnaissance of China, but also stepped up military activities in the South China Sea, challenging China's sovereignty and territorial integrity. This counters the improving situation in the South China Sea and contradicts America's claim that it takes no sides on the South China Sea issue. As a country outside the region, the U.S. has become a prominent factor of instability in the region and obstructed the efficient China-U.S. cooperation within the Asia-Pacific multilateral framework.

It takes a master to know the game

The Korean Peninsula nuclear issue is the biggest variable that affects the Asian-Pacific security and stability, and the dramatic changes on this issue are without any doubt the highlight in Asia-Pacific's security situation this year. The historic meeting between American and DPRK leaders will take place in Singapore on June 12, so the Korean Peninsula issue was a focus at this year's SLD.

DPRK leaders met with former American presidents twice. The first time was in 1994, when former American president Jimmy Carter met with Kim Jong-un's grandfather Kim Il-sung, and the second time was in 2009, when former president Bill Clinton, after he left office, met with Kim Jong-un's father Kim Jong Il.

Singapore's Defense Minister NG Eng Hen said Singapore will bear part of the expenses for the Trump-Kim meeting as a "small contribution to this historic summit". "It would be terrible if eventually the meeting didn't take place. Singapore will play its role well as a host and make careful preparations to ensure the security," said NG Eng Hen.

The SLD held a special discussion on "mitigating the Korean Peninsula nuclear crisis" on June 2, at which defense officials from South Korea, Japan and Canada gave speeches.

South Korean Defense Minister Song Young-moo said that we cannot let history affect the DPRK and South Korea's expectations for the future; otherwise they would never begin the negotiation and could never realize peaceful co-existence. The leaders of both sides made strenuous efforts to write a new chapter of history.

"When I talked with South Korean Defense Minister Song Young-moo, we mentioned the current positive changes on the Korean Peninsula. China and South Korea share many views regarding the positive trend on the peninsula. We strongly encourage South Korea to follow through the agreement it reached with the DPRK at Panmunjom," said Lieutenant General He Lei.

Canada's Defense Minister Harjit Sajjan held that some encouraging signs have appeared in the past few months, which meant that it is possible to solve the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue through diplomatic means. But hope comes along with uncertainty, and the international community must still act with caution.

"Asian countries hope to see the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue being thoroughly resolved and the DPRK coming back to the international community, which will be helpful for the lasting peace and stability of the Asia Pacific region," according to Oh Ei Sun, senior advisor of international affairs at Malaysia's Asian Strategy & Leadership Institute.

Oh Ei Sun said that the two meetings between South Korean and DPRK leaders and the two meetings between Chinese and DPRK leaders in the past half year, as well as the upcoming summit between the DPRK and American leaders all reflect their expectations and efforts for an early solution of the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue.

In the Asia Pacific region, there is the U.S.-led military alliance and also organizations like the SCO and the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA) that advocate non-alignment and opening up, there is the ASEAN-led dialogue mechanism like the ASEAN Regional Forum and the ADMM-PLUS and also multilateral and bilateral dialogue mechanisms like the SLD, Western Pacific Naval Symposium and Xiangshan Forum. The DPRK and the U.S. may have completely different paths to solving the same issue, such as the Korean peninsula denuclearization.

Some experts said that the DPRK hopes to take the denuclearization as the outcome, but the U.S. makes "comprehensive, examinable and irreversible denuclearization" as the premise.

Disclaimer: The authors are Yao Yijiang, Zheng Yujun, Zhuang Junlang, Li Sihan, Liu Min, Gu Qiong and Li Yingying, reporters with infzm.com. The article is translated from Chinese into English by the China Military online. The information, ideas or opinions appearing in this article are those of the authors and do not reflect the views of eng.chinamil.com.cn. Chinamil.com.cn does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same. If the article carries photographs or images, we do not vouch for their authenticity.ADEN, Yemen, June 11 (Xinhua) -- The pro-government army received more reinforcements Monday to prepare for an imminent massive attack against Houthi rebels in Yemen's western port city of Hodeidah, a military source told Xinhua.

The source based in Hodiedah pointed out that ferocious armed confrontations are currently underway in different areas located near the city's main entrances.

"Well-trained soldiers arrived and will participate with other joint forces in the liberation battle of Hodeidah soon," the source said anonymously.

The official spokesman of Yemen's National Resistance Forces in Hodeidah confirmed that "new battalions of the national resistance troops arrived in Hodeidah after completing the arming and military training period."

Meanwhile, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) that leads the anti-Houthi military campaign in Yemen's western coast areas and in Hodeidah informed aid agencies via the UK's Department for International Development to leave the city within three days.

The UK government note to the United Nations and other international non-governmental organizations (INGOs) operating in Yemen indicating that a "military assault now looks imminent on Hodeidah port and city."

On Friday, the UN issued a public statement saying that in its worst-case scenario planning as many as 250,000 civilians would be killed as a result of an attack on Hodeidah.

Earlier in the day, an army commander said that the Saudi Arabia-led coalition carried out several airstrikes against rebel posts in Hodeidah.

He added that the airstrikes targeted the areas of Aljah, Durayhmi and locations along the main road linking Hodeidah with Taiz province, leading to the deaths of more than 39 from both sides.

The Saudi-led coalition has been fighting the Iranian-allied Houthi rebels since March 2015. More than 10,000 people, mostly civilians, were killed in the war that displaced over 3 million and pushed the impoverished country into the brink of famine.

The anti-Houthi Arab coalition has sent hundreds of troops to the Yemeni western coast in preparation for the advancement into Houthi-held Hodeidah, a long-time key military target declared by the coalition.

The Saudi- and Emirati-backed Yemeni forces continued in making ground advancement during the battles taking place with Houthis on Yemen's west coast near of Hodeidah airport.

Hodeidah is a vital lifeline for the delivery of humanitarian supplies to the Houthi-controlled northern provinces, including the country's capital Sanaa.By Qiu Yue

According to foreign media report, an official in the U.S. Department of Defense recently said that they noticed China's test shooting of DF-41 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) on May 27, which launched multiple warheads and hit the targets in a shooting range in western China.

Military expert Shao Yongling said in an interview that if the report were true, it would mean that DF-41 was up to the service standard and ready for commissioning. It is not only the most advanced ICBM in China, but also among the most sophisticated ones in the world.

At present, China mainly has the DF-5 and DF-31 ICBM series in service. Public information shows that DF-5 is a silo-based liquid-propellant ICBM and its latest DF-5 Yi already carries Multiple Independently Targetable Re-entry Vehicles (MIRVs), while DF-31 is a vehicle-launched solid-propellant single-warhead ICBM.

According to Shao Yongling, DF-5 Yi boasts advantages such as large load and power, but the liquid fuel limits its reaction speed, while the DF-31's way of mobile launch largely enhances its surviving ability and reaction speed, although its striking power is inferior to DF-5 Yi due to the limited load capacity. DF-41 integrates all the advantages of DF-5 and DF-31, including large load, fast reaction and carrying of MIRVs, so it can hit the targets more effectively.

Yang Chengjun, Chinese expert on missile technology and nuclear strategy and chief scientist of quantum defense, said in an interview with Science and Technology Daily that DF-41 has technologically solved the difficulty in carrying multiple warheads and can carry different number of nuclear warheads as required. Lan Shunzheng, a research fellow specialized in defense affairs at the PLA Academy of Military Sciences, also said the MIRV technology is no longer a difficulty.

Shao Yongling added the MIRV can increase the missile's ability of destruction and defense penetration. It is able to hit multiple targets simultaneously, thus solving the problem of few missiles but many targets, and it gives the missile a stronger defense penetration capability, so that the opposite side's anti-missile measures either don't have enough time to react or are unable to react. As a result, the "missed" multiple warheads can complete the attack mission.

Military expert Song Zhongping told Global Times that if, as foreign media reported, DF-41 had ten test flights it would be close to commissioning.

According to Shao Yongling, ten successful tests of a missile are enough to prove that it is up to the service standard and ready for commissioning. In some countries, the missile is commissioned after only three or four test flights, and only those countries that have high requirements on stability and security would test the missile more times in order to ensure its performance.

As a new ICBM developed by China in the 21st century, DF-41 integrates IT and many new technologies. It's not only the most advanced ICBM in China, but also one of the most sophisticated ones in the world.

Disclaimer: The author is Qiu Yue, reporter with the Peoples Daily. The article is translated from Chinese into English and edited by the China Military online. The information, ideas or opinions appearing in this article are those of the author from the Peoples Daily and do not reflect the views of eng.chinamil.com.cn. Chinamil.com.cn does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same. If the article carries photographs or images, we do not vouch for their authenticity.By ShenDongdong, Cai Ming and Li Xin

ULAN BATOR, June 11 (ChinaMil) -- Chinese troops to participate in the " Khaan Quest-2018" joint peacekeeping exercise arrived in Mongolia on June 11, 2018.

The thirty-five Chinese troops consisting of thirty-one men and four women are mainly from a brigade of the 81st Group Army of the PLA. The four female soldiers will take part in drills of medical treatment, nursing and civilian protection.

According to Zhang Yi, instructor of the Chinese participating troops, they had two-month-long targeted training focused on such subjects as regional defense, riot control, guard and search, battlefield first aid, civilian protection and so forth.

Chinese participating troops will also attend the China Culture Night, one event of the multinational cultural exchange and demonstration activities during the exercise period.

It is reported that fifty-two countries, including China, Mongolia, the United States, Indonesia, the Philippines and Malaysia, will participate in or observe the multinational peacekeeping exercise.

Sponsored by Mongolia, the Khaan Quest-2018 Joint Military Exercise has been held annually since 2003. At first it was a Mongolia-U.S. joint exercise, and got expanded into a multilateral peacekeeping exercise in 2006.In recent years, the joint military exercise has been developed into a significant platform for military cooperation and exchanges among countries in the region.The People's Liberation Army Navy has issued its latest recruitment advert to attract more talent into the armed forces as part of efforts to achieve the country's goal of building a world-class navy.

The video shows the daily life of students and their education and training at five Chinese naval universities. Modern naval weapons shown in the video inspire aspiring college candidates to pursue their dreams by joining the Chinese navy.

The Chinese army has been engaged in a battle for talents and paid more and more attention to the training of highly-skilled personnel in recent years.

China's modernization of its army and the fast development of weapons and new combat forces prompted the need for more talent and improved training.

The video shows the campus of the five naval academies including Naval University of Engineering in Wuhan, Central China's Hubei Province; Dalian Naval Academy in Dalian, Northeast China's Liaoning Province; Navy Submarine Academy in Qingdao, East China's Shandong Province; Naval Aviation University in Yantai, Shandong Province; and the Second Military Medical University in East China's Shanghai Municipality.

The Chinese military authority has just reshuffled its military education institutions as part of an ongoing military reform in recent years to build a stronger military and boost real-combat capability. There are now 43 military education institutions, 35 specialized in specific armed services, and six of armed police forces.BEIJING, June 11 (Xinhua) -- An IL-76 aircraft from China has arrived in New Zealand's Auckland to participate in a joint exercise for transport aircraft.

Exercise Skytrain is the first joint exercise between the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force and the Royal New Zealand Air Force, according a PLA statement Monday.

The exercise focuses on humanitarian aid, disaster relief and maritime search and rescue operations.

The Chinese aircraft made stops in the Philippines and Australia en route to New Zealand in accordance with regulations of the two countries and international norms, the statement said, adding the two countries provided necessary service to the Chinese aircraft.Trump and others in his government have said advancement has been made on obtaining a commitment from Kim to give up all his nuclear weapons and long-range ballistic missiles. Progress could lead to a peace treaty and formally end a state of war on the Korean Peninsula, which has persisted for nearly 70 years.

Trump added that he believed Kim, half the age of the American president, "wants to do something great for his people." But he cautioned that Kim "won't have that opportunity again" if the talks do not go well -- describing this opportunity for diplomacy with the United States as a "one-time shot."

Ahead of his arrival, Trump acknowledged he is heading into "unknown territory" for the meeting Tuesday. In response to a question from VOA News just before heading to Asia from the Group of Seven summit in Canada, Trump said "I really feel confident" about the unprecedented encounter between a sitting American president and a member of the family dynasty that has maintained iron-fist control over one of the world's most reclusive countries for three generations.

After stepping down from Air Force One Sunday, Trump was greeted by Singapore's Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan. Asked by reporters on the tarmac who shouted, "is the summit going to be a success?" and "how are you feeling?" Trump replied: "very good."

President Donald Trump is in Singapore for his upcoming summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, a meeting the U.S leader says he is feeling "very good" about.

 A Quick Read

Whether such a deal can be done, Trump declared Saturday, is something he will know almost from the moment they meet. "I think within the first minute -- my touch, my feel, that's what I do," the president said, touting his deal-making experience as a businessman. If that feeling is not positive, Trump predicted, "I don't want to waste my time. I don't want to waste his time."

Trump spoke to a group of White House reporters in Charlevoix in the Canadian province of Quebec after cutting short his appearance at the G7 leaders' gathering.

The president acknowledged the difficulty of gleaning much information concerning Kim, who has scant experience on the international stage and about whom foreign intelligence agencies have struggled to gather much beyond basic biographical data.

"This is a leader who is really an unknown personality," Trump said. Despite that, "we're going in with a very positive spirit" and "I think very well-prepared."

Kim arrived in Singapore mid-afternoon Sunday, amid much speculation about the outcome of Tuesday's talks.

Trump pushed back on criticism that giving the North Korean leader a meeting with an American president was a major concession made with nothing of value received in return. He noted Pyongyang's recent goodwill gesture of releasing "three hostages" -- Americans who had been imprisoned in the country -- and said that was enough for him to proceed with the summit.

"It's never been done before," Trump said of a U.S.-North Korean leaders' meeting. "Obviously, what has been done before hasn't worked."

 Risk of Failure

U.S. officials traveling with the president -- as well as analysts -- have acknowledged the risk that even the smallest of perceived slights by either side could prompt one of the leaders to instantly call it all off.

Trump has had recent discussions with South Korean President Moon Jae-in, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Chinese President Xi Jinping -- who all have vested interests in the outcome -- about matters he plans to raise.

Asked by VOA News whether he would bring up North Korea's egregious human rights record, including its system of gulags for civilians deemed enemies of the state, and the unresolved fate of Japanese abducted by North Korean agents over the decades, Trump replied, "We're going to bring everything up."

The president was being accompanied on his trip to the Far East by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who has visited Pyongyang twice to prepare for the summit, and national security adviser John Bolton, a hardliner on dealing with North Korea. Also on Air Force One, which is to arrive Sunday evening in Singapore, was White House Chief of Staff John Kelly, other officials of the National Security Council and White House press secretary Sarah Sanders.Putin's remarks follow a report that White House officials were working toward setting up a meeting. Trump has said he was open to having a summit with Putin, who U.S. intelligence officials have said directed Russian meddling in the 2016 election to help Trump win.

Putin said he shares Trump's expression of concern about a renewed arms race expressed in a March phone call. "I can confirm that President Trump voiced concern about a new round of arms race in our latest call," Putin said. "I fully agree with him," he said, adding that personal meetings and work by experts are needed to tackle the issue.

"The U.S. president has repeatedly said that it's reasonable to hold such a meeting," Putin said on the sidelines of a summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. "As soon as the U.S. side is ready, the meeting will take place, depending, of course, on my working schedule."

Speaking to reporters in Qingdao, China, Putin said that some nations, including Austria, have offered to host his summit with Trump, should they have one.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Sunday that he's happy to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump once Washington is ready to hold the summit and welcomed Trump's call to bring Moscow back into the G7 group of leading industrialized nations.

The American leader has repeatedly said he wants to improve relationships with Moscow. Putin also welcomed Trump's statement that Russia should be invited to rejoin the group that was called the G-8 before others expelled Russia. "It wasn't us who left," he said. "Colleagues refused to come to Russia on well-known grounds." "We will be ready to greet them all in Moscow," he added.

Russia was expelled from the grouping in 2014 after it invaded and annexed Crimea and for its support for pro-Russia separatists in Ukraine. Trump, however, suggested that the G7 offer a seat at the table to Russia. "I think it would be an asset to have Russia back in," he said.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he told Trump that readmitting Russia "is not something that we are even remotely looking at at this time." Putin also dismissed as mere "chatter" a G7 statement that criticized Russia.

The statement had said: "We urge Russia to cease its destabilizing behavior to undermine democratic systems and its support of the Syrian regime." It also said the countries shared and agreed with Britain's assessment that it is "highly likely" that Russia was responsible for the poisoning of ex-Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter in Britain.

"Once again, nothing concrete was said," Putin said, referring to the G7 statement. "It's time to stop that chatter and deal with real issues."

Earlier Sunday, Putin criticized the U.S. withdrawal from the Iranian nuclear deal in a speech at the summit. He emphasized that the bloc's members, who also include China, four ex-Soviet Central Asian nations, as well as India and Pakistan, are worried about the U.S. move.

Putin said that Washington's decision to exit the agreement could "destabilize the situation" in the region. He added that Moscow will continue to honor its obligations under the Iranian nuclear deal.

Last month, Trump pulled out of former U.S. President Barack Obama's landmark 2015 nuclear accord with Iran over the objections of European allies and other nations.

Addressing the summit, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, whose country has an observer status in the group, said that Iran would expect other participants in the nuclear deal to provide guarantees that they would honor the agreement.

Founded in 2001, the Beijing-based SCO has largely served as a vehicle for resolving border issues, fighting terrorism and -- more implicitly -- to counter American influence in Central Asia following its invasion of Afghanistan.Britain's biggest companies will from 2020 be legally required to publish the gap between the salaries of their chief executives and what they pay their average U.K. workers, under proposed government rules.

Business Minister Greg Clark said that the government would set out new laws in Parliament on Monday directing that U.K.-listed companies with more than 250 employees would have to reveal their pay gaps and justify their CEOs' salaries.

"We understand the anger of workers and shareholders when bosses' pay is out of step with company performance," Clark said in a statement Sunday. He said the new laws would improve transparency and boost accountability for both shareholders and workers, as well as helping to "build a fairer economy."

The new measures, which are subject to parliamentary approval, are part of the government's "Industrial Strategy" and would come into effect January 1, 2019, meaning companies would start reporting in 2020.

When these rules were first proposed last year, they were criticized by union leaders, who said they fell short of Prime Minister Theresa May's promise early on in her tenure to tackle soaring executive pay.U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un arrived separately in Singapore on Sunday for a summit scheduled for Tuesday. Kim landed in Singapore at 2:30 p.m. aboard a chartered Air China plane before meeting Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong at the Istana presidential palace, where he referred to the summit as "a historic meeting." Trump arrived some five hours later and said prospects for the summit are "very good."



U.S. President Donald Trump waves on arrival at his hotel in Singapore on Sunday. /Yonhap

But preparatory talks between U.S. Ambassador to the Philippines Sung Kim and North Korean Vice Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui have snagged on the question whether the two leaders will mention the "complete, verifiable and irreversible" dismantlement of the North's nuclear weapons in their agreement. One U.S. source said, "Talks are still under way over the method and steps of denuclearization, but a satisfactory level of agreement has yet to be reached." At a press conference at the disastrous G7 conference on Saturday before heading off to Singapore, Trump told reporters everything depends on the "first minute" of the meeting. "It's a one-time shot and I think it's going to work out very well," he said. "How long will it take to figure out whether or not they're serious? ...maybe in the first minute. I think very quickly I'll know whether or not something good is going to happen. And if I think it won't happen, I'm not going to waste my time."

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (left) meets with Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong at the Istana presidential palace in Singapore on Sunday. /Yonhap

The summit will start off at 9 a.m. with just Trump and Kim and their interpreters, followed by an expanded meeting in the afternoon that includes their staff. Kim is scheduled to leave Singapore on Tuesday afternoon at 2 p.m., according to Reuters. One diplomatic source said, "The North appears to be playing a game of nerves after Trump said he could leave the meeting at any moment."

Read this article in KoreanCampaigning has reached fever pitch with local elections just two days away. At stake is the support of some 20 to 40 percent of registered voters who are considered undecided.

The National Election Commission said Sunday that turnout in early voting conducted last Friday and Saturday stood at 20.14 percent. Although lower than the 26.06 percent turnout in early voting in the last presidential election, it was a solid result.A South Korean team went on an inspection of the shuttered Kaesong Industrial Complex in North Korea last Friday. The group led by Vice Unification Minister Chun Hae-sung checked on power generation, water supply and communications facilities there in anticipation of opening a cross-border liaison office there.

They were greeted by a sorry sight as the basements of the offices and accommodation facilities in the industrial park remained submerged. "Most of the facilities are in need of maintenance, including submerged and malfunctioning equipment, leaky walls and broken glass," a ministry spokesman said.

It was the first visit by South Korean officials in the two years and four months since operations came to a halt.

Heavy security surrounded the arrival in Singapore of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on Sunday afternoon.

His limousine was escorted by 12 brawny men in black suits, when it was leaving the St. Regis Hotel at 6:22 p.m. Sunday for a meeting with Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.

The "bulletproof bodyguards" earned the nickname for their tight, close-range protection during the inter-Korean summit in the truce village of Panmunjom on April 27.

Five stood on each side of the limousine and two behind before they started running along with the car in perfect formation. Hundreds of Singaporeans gathered to see the rare sight as press cameras flashed.North Korea's state media in a rare departure from practice on Monday reported that their leader Kim Jong-un is visiting Singapore to meet U.S. President Donald Trump.

The regime at first seemed nervous that discontent in the unruly military or the Pyongyang elite could bubble over in his absence.

But now Kim's every move in Singapore is broadcast live around the world, it would have been difficult for the regime to keep a lid on all news.

By contrast, state media reported on Kim's two summits with Chinese President Xi Jinping in China only after he returned to Pyongyang.

On May 27, the official Rodong Sinmun merely announced the date of the summit but not the location.

The state media also kept quiet about a recent visit to the U.S. by Kim's right-hand man Kim Yong-chol and his meeting with Trump at the White House.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un arrived in Singapore aboard a Chinese aircraft on Sunday to attend a summit with U.S. President Donald Trump. This is the first time in 34 years that a North Korea leader has set foot on foreign soil other than China or Russia. The last time a North Korean leader made such a trip was in 1984 when Kim Il-sung traveled to the Soviet Union, Poland, East Germany and Hungary by train. On arrival in Singapore, Kim Jong-un met with Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, as any normal visiting leader might.

Since coming to power, Kim has shown signs that he wants to turn his isolated country into a normal nation. In June 2016 he abolished the powerful National Defense Commission, which his father set up to oversee his disastrous military-first doctrine. Instead, Kim junior set up a policy-making committee that he heads and which his father had declawed.

Simply by flying to Singapore, he also sets himself apart from his father, who had a pathological fear of flying and could only get about by armored train. But if he wants to be accepted as the leader of a normal country, Kim must abandon his brutal totalitarian methods of leadership. Kim had his own uncle executed by firing squad and his half-brother assassinated in a foreign airport using a chemical weapon. Kim is also known to execute officials with anti-aircraft guns, his people are virtual slaves, and 80,000 to 100,000 of them languish in political prison camps. Not many countries will want to do business with a nation like that.

If North Korea is to become a normal state, it must scrap all its nuclear, chemical and biological weapons and facilities. That will be the most convincing way to the rest of the world that the North is serious, and it will lead to peace on the Korean peninsula and prosperity for both Koreas. Kim's trip to Singapore should be the first step on that path.

Chinese police bust tomb robbing ring

From:ChinaDaily | 2018-06-11 11:29

XINING -- Police in Northwest China's Qinghai province have seized eight suspected tomb raiders and an antique dealer, recovering 54 items.

Some residents at a village of Tongren county found several holes in their farmland between April and May.

Fan Haiyun, deputy head with Tongren police, said the holes were dug by tomb raiders.

On June 1, police caught four suspects who attempting to rob tombs in neighboring Xunhua county in Qinghai. Police followed the lead and seized another four suspected tomb raiders and a dealer in neighboring Gansu province.

The tombs date back to the Kayue culture period (900 BC -- 600 BC).

Believed to be related to the ancient Qiang people that disappeared, Kayue culture was discovered in 1923 at Kayue village in Qinghai.Shanghai mayor visits Istanbul and calls for closer cooperation in more fields

From:Shine | 2018-06-11 15:29

Shanghai Mayor Ying Yong led a delegation to visit Turkey from June 7 to 10 and met with Mevlut Uysal, mayor of Istanbul.

During the meeting, Ying said Shanghai and Istanbul established the twin city tie in 1989 and the two cities have carried out extensive cooperation and achieved great results ever since.

Both as important juncture cities along the Belt and Road countries, Shanghai and Istanbul have great potential in cooperation, which is expected to be further strengthened in trade, traffic, ports, education and tourism. The two cities can also learn from each others experiences, Ying added.

Uysal said Istanbul values the 30-year friendly relationship with Shanghai and hopes to strengthen the cooperation in every aspect with the city under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative.

Later, Ying visited Bogazici University and met its President Mehmed Ozkan and attended the opening ceremony of the Commemorative Photo Exhibition of China-Shanghais 40th Anniversary of Opening-up and Reforms. Ying said openness is Shanghais biggest strength and international education exchanges are a big part as well as an indicator of Shanghais openness.

In 2008, Shanghai University and Bogazici University jointly set up a Confucius Institute at Bogazici University to promote Chinese education, culture, cultural exchanges and academic researches and it has achieved remarkable results. Shanghai will keep supporting the two universities to carry out cooperation in various fields. Also, Shanghai hopes the two universities can set up a good example for cooperation between the two cities.

Also, the photo exhibition will serve as a window for the students and faculty at Bogazici University to learn about Shanghai, China, and their opening-up policies and reforms.

At Kumport Port, a project affiliated to China Cosco Shipping Corporation, Ying visited the ports Chinese and foreign staff and management. Cosco acquired the Kumport port in 2015 and now its in good operation condition. The corporation has built or acquired 18 ports worldwide, 16 of which are in the Belt and Road countries.

Ying pointed out that Coscos optimization of resources and better development has supported Chinas national strategies. Shanghai has the biggest port operator, comprehensive shipping lines and port equipment supplier. Shanghai should exert its resources advantages to promote more Chinese companies to expand into the overseas markets.

Cui Wei, consul-general of Chinas consulate general in Istanbul, also attended the related events.

Shanghai Mayor Ying Yong meets with Mevlut Uysal, mayor of Istanbul.All major Nepali and English broadsheet dailies published from Kathmandu on Monday have prioritised a host of political issues over others. They include multiple significant decisions of the Cabinet meeting held yesterday including the decision to cut down AIG positions in Nepal Police and Armed Police Force, and finalisation of agendas of Prime Minister KP Sharma Olis upcoming China visit. Some newspapers have given the top priority to the decision to shut down the Kathmandu office of United Nations Department of Political Affairs.

Important

Nepal shuts down UN political office

Annapurna Post, Nagarik, The Himalayan Times and Republica have reported that the Nepal government has decided to close down the Kathmandu office of United Nations Department of Political Affairs.

Earlier, the office was set up as a liaison office at the Office at the UN Resident Coordinator after the United Nations Mission to Nepal ceased operations in 2011, according to The Himalayan Times. Nagarik quotes Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Bharat Raj Paudyal to say that the UN has already been informed about the decision.

Meanwhile, Annapurna Post has claimed that the government accused the UN body of carrying out activities against sovereignty of the nation though its primary objective was to maintain peace and harmony in the post-conflict society.

Cabinet discusses PMs China visit agendas

The Cabinet meeting held on Sunday discussed and finalised some agendas for Prime Minister KP Sharma Olis state visit to China, according to newspaper reports. Whereas many agendas have been finalised, discussions on extradition treaty has not been included on the list, The Himalayan Times reports in its lead story. The treaty will not be signed as the Nepal government did not agree with the draft sent by Beijing recently, according to the report.

Meanwhile, the Cabinet meeting also decided to form a mechanism to establish cooperation and coordination between Nepal and China on energy development, according to Karobar. The Ministry of Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation has been authorised to sign the agreement for the mechanism on Nepals behalf.

Ignored

1,600 peoples representatives face action for failing to submit property details

As many as 1,600 peoples representatives at the local level have failed to submit their property details to the concerned government authority. Subsequently, they have faced action, according to a story in Nagarik.

The Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority has given them one month time to submit the details, but each of them will be fined Rs 5,000, the report informs.

Unnecessary judicial posts to be scrapped

The Kathmandu Post reportsquoting Minister for Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Sher Bahadur Tamangthat the government is preparing to scrap unnecessary positions in the judiciary.

Speaking at a function in Kathmandu yesterday, the Minister said the government was reviewing judges posts for scrapping if found unnecessary whereas another focus of the government would be on monitoring whether the existing human resources was properly utilised.

RJPN mulls over options to save legality

As the Election Commission has directed the Rastriya Janata Party to hold its central general convention by July 14, the party is tense. Now, the party has concluded that holding the convention by the deadline after completing elections at all lower level committees will be impossible owing to time constrains. Therefore, it is mulling over two options to retain its legality: either to request the Commission to extend the deadline by six months, or to do the national convention directly without electing the party leadership at lower levels, Naya Patrika reports.

Former police officials still enjoy orderly facilities

The four-column anchor story in The Himalayan Times reports that former higher police officials have still employed personnel of the national police forces for their domestic jobs although the Ministry of Home Affairs had issued a circular to Nepal Police and Armed Police Force two months ago against such practices.

The forces were directed to call back such personnel within seven days, but the Ministry recently found that many officials have breached the order.

Interesting

China to build two border bridges

Gorkhapatra, Kantipur and The Kathmandu Post report on their lead stories that China is planning to build two crossborder bridges to connect to Nepal. The Beijing government has sent the proposal to the Nepal government and the Cabinet meeting held yesterday endorsed the offer, according to the reports.

The bridges will be built at Tatopani and Rasuwagadhi border points. Existing old bridges will be demolished, Kantipur reports, adding trade activities via Tatopani border are expected to resume after the construction.

Obese army personnel to be deprived of promotion

The Nepal Army has recently introduced a new rule about health conditions of its officials and personnel, according to which those with too high or too low body weights will be barred from promotion and other lucrative activities including their participation in the United Nations peacekeeping missions, according to Annapurna Post anchor story.

Meanwhile, some army officials have joined fitness clubs after the rule came into operation, the report adds.Israel has been in a difficult position in the global political arena owing to its conflict with Palestine. Perhaps that is why the countrys presence is not much visible in developing countries like Nepal. This past week Nepal and Israel commemorated 58 years since the establishment of diplomatic ties. On this occasion, Onlinekhabar talked to Israeli Ambassador to Nepal, Benny Omer, on the various dimensions of Nepal-Israel relations.

To begin the conversation, lets talk about your general impression of Kathmandu and Nepal.

I have been the Israeli Ambassador to Nepal for the last six months. I am relatively a newcomer here. But, I was here around 20 years ago, in 1998/99, for nine months as the charge daffaires. We did not have an ambassador here so I had to serve for the interim period. I have a very good memory of that time. My wife and I really enjoyed living here. Kathmandu at that time was less polluted and friendlier to foreigners. But, this is natural that with the passage of time, people come to big cities, construct more housesmore cars, more bikes, and of course, more pollution.

How do you review the progress made by the two countries over past 58 years?

We have to pay tribute to the great visionary leader of Nepal, the first elected prime minister late BP Koirala, who was courageous to recognise the State of Israel. We are talking about 1960, the first of June. Koirala was courageous not only to recognise Israel as a state, despite international pressure, but also to visit our country in August 1960 and meet then Israeli Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion, whom we consider the father of modern Israel. He was the person who declared the independence of Israel in 1948 after the six-month-long Independence War. Both Koirala and Ben-Gurion were courageous leaders with charismatic personalities.

Wellwe do not have high mountains like you do. But, there is something interesting: you have the highest point of the earth, Mount Everest. And, we have the lowest pointthe Dead Sea, which we share with Jordan at the altitude of -392 metres. This has made our relationship quite unique and special.

Can you please tell us more about progress and achievements the two countries made together?

Well, owing to courage and vision of BP Koirala and David Ben-Gurion, the relations have been friendly between the countries. Our long-term cooperation for the development of Nepal has been facilitated by MASHAV, the acronym for the Israeli Agency for International Development Cooperation in Hebrew. It is a department under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Through this department, we send our experts abroad and invite young people from developing countries to train in Israel in agriculture, education, health. By now, there are total 3,500 Nepalis who have been trained by Israeli experts in Israel. Young Nepali people in almost the same number have been trained here in Nepal.

Can you please recount the major milestones that represent this strong bond?

The strongest part of Israel-Nepal cooperation is human resource development or capacity building. Another thing that we can mention as a milestone in the bilateral relations is the support we offered to Nepal after the 2015 earthquake. One of the first countries to send aid to Nepal was Israel. We sent doctors, nurses and medical equipment. Whenever I meet Nepali people these days, the first or second sentence they tell me is we recognise and will not forget the support Israel provided to us at the time of real need after the earthquake. I wish Nepal would not have to cope with an earthquake anymore, but it provided you with an opportunity to check who your real friends are. They say friends in need are friends indeed. We are trying to be friends indeed every time.

Our doctors are well skilled in crisis management and this is one of the subjects that MASHAV is teaching to professionals from developing countries. We are also supporting them in coordinating with existing doctors and hospitals, civil servants and civil societies, and NGOs on how to prepare as a nation for such catastrophes, to save as many human lives as possible and to avoid the real crisis.

Overall, Israel and Nepal have very good relations although sometimes our friends are left with very hard choices, mainly due to the conflict in our part of the worldits not easy to live in our neighbourhood. But, I think Nepal is clever, responsible and friendly enough to keep a neutral position and to understand the difficulties Israel is facing.

So do you think there arent any problems between the two countries?

There is a point annoying to us. On the one hand, there is a very strong bilateral relationship. Both the countries see it the same way. But, there is a pointWe have been telling the authorities about it; it is no more a secret. We have told our partners at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs here that we do not see a reflection of our bilateral relations at the multilateral level. By the multilateral level, I mean the United Nations. From time to time, Palestinians or the Arab camp are suggesting that the UN adopt different resolutions. After few amendments to their proposals, there is voting. You see which nation is voting for whom. Unfortunately, when it comes to voting at the UN, in most cases, I dont say in all cases, Nepal is voting for the Arab camp. This is something we, as a good friend of Nepal, do not understand.

It is your government which has been declaring for many years that your position is of neutrality. When I met Prime Minister [KP Sharma] Oli at his residence in Baluwatar a few days ago, he repeated the official position to remain neutral.

Let me share yet another incident with you. On March 19 this year, there was an Israeli delegation coming to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs here. They met Minister [Pradeep Kumar] Gyawali, Foreign Secretary [Shanker Das] Bairagi, and other officials. The atmosphere was so positive. Two days afterwards, there was a voting in Geneva and Nepal was voting for the Palestinians therewhich means against Israel. We did not understand how it was possible. We were really surprised.

There are four options in voting. If you vote yes, it means you are with the Palestinians and the Arabsit is not good for us. If you vote no, it means you are with us; you are for Israel, like America and Australia. The third is to stay in the room but abstain. The fourth option is to remain absent. When the voting is taking place, you go out. For example, we are human beings, we drink and we have to go to the toilet. So you just go to the toilet, let them vote and then you come back. It is possible. Even the Prime Minister [Oli] said we should encourage our diplomats to drink more so that you can be absent with a good reason! In this case, nobody could complain against Nepal.

We understand you do not want to vote against other countries; they are also your friends. You have many people working outside the country. But still, you have the option to abstain or remain absent. Please do not vote against us. This is our request to Nepali authorities.

Though BP Koirala visited Israel immediately after the establishment of ties, there havent been high-level visits by leaders of both the countries in the recent past. What do you think are the reasons behind it? How can we organise such visits more frequently?

There was another visit at the prime ministers level. It was in 1993. Girija Prasad Koirala visited Israel. Around one-and-half or two years ago, your Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs Kamal Thapa visited Israel. In 2015, Israeli Minister for Agriculture Yair Shamir was in Nepal. Just three weeks ago, your Agriculture Minister Chakrapani Khanal was in Tel Aviv to attend the AgriTech Summit which takes place every three years. Nepal missed it in 2012 and 2015. We are very happy that the Minister went to Israel this time.

How do you assess the support Israel has provided to the development of Nepal? What are your future plans?

We are proposing to establish a vocational training centre here. We had an opportunity to establish such a centre in Cameroon. I was the Ambassador there from 2003 to 2007 and we had established the training centre there. Now, I have told Prime Minister Oli the same thing can be done here too.

In Cameroon, the movement of people from rural areas to cities was a big problem. In a family of four to five children, only one or two would get the share of land [from parents]; others had to find other jobs. But, they cannot find them easily. So in order to survive, they take mobile phones from one and food from others. They are not criminals; but they want to eat, they want to survive. The Cameroon President requested if I could help them address this problem, I proposed the vocational training centre, where the young people could go and learn the professions, both low-tech and high-tech. It can help them find jobs, marry, establish families and become decent citizens. This is a great change.

My idea is to establish such a centre in Kathmandu. But now, since you adopted the seven-province model, each province can have one such centre. Can you imagine the effects after 10 years? I believe at least 50 per cent of young Nepalis will stay at home though some will find jobs abroad.

The bilateral cooperation between the two countries in the agricultural sector is more noticeable than in other fields. How do you assess its impacts?

Agriculture is a very important element of your economy as 70 per cent of people are engaged in it. But, you have to import some foods from abroad. I believe Nepal has a great combination of fertile land, water resources and hardworking people in order to be self-sufficient. Food security is a basic need of any nation. Your constitution has recognised it as your fundamental right whereas the Sustainable Development Goals 2016-30 has also talked about it. As I learn from speeches of your lady President [Bidya Devi] Bhandari and Prime Minister [Oli], your country has also prioritised the SDG implementation.

If a government cannot feed its people sufficiently, it is a great challenge. But I believe, on the basis of what I have seen in and outside Kathmandu, you have the possibility of ensuring food security of your people and exporting some of them to your big neighbours on both sides. They will be happy to buy from you as the quality will be really good.

The wheel has already been invented and you have to use the wheel correctly. By this, I mean there are innovative agricultural technologies in countries like Israel and we are happy to share it with you. Around 500 young Nepalis go to Israel every year to learn such technologies. This year, we have sent 540, maybe next year it can be 600 or more. This is the highest number of scholarships or opportunities offered to Nepal by other countries for a single discipline in a year. By now, 2,200 Nepalis have come back home in past five years after spending 11 months in Israelwe call it earn and learn project. They learn about modern agriculture including drip irrigation, high quality seeds, fertilisers. They can also earn 10,000 to 12,000 US dollars while learning.

This is something that can create a big change in Nepal. But, it will depend on your voting patterns at the UN as there is the reciprocity between what you give and what you get! (Laughs)

This is my vision. As I met Finance Minister [Yubaraj] Khatiwada recently, I told him that the number of people involved in agriculture should be reduced to 30 to 40 per cent in next five to six years because just two per cent of people work in the farm in Israel, but they produce food for the entire country. It suggests fewer people with better technologies can revolutionise the sector. This is a big challenge, and you need mechanisation as well as new ideas.

In other fields also, we send around 35 Nepalis to train in Israel every year. The sectors include education, health among others. In 2018, we want to double the number of trainees.

Another equally important sector in Nepals economy is tourism. How do you observe the movement and activities of Israeli tourists in Nepal over past few years?

Israelis of all ages love Nepal. Around 10,000 Israelis visit Nepal on a yearly basiscompared to the population of 8.5 million, this is a lot. The first reason for such a large number is the beauty of this country, nature, the Himalayas.

Another reason is related to our government system. You know in Israel army service is compulsory. Every person at the age of 18 must join the army. It is three years for men and two years for women, though many can continue the service as a career after that. You know our army is very competent, not because we love war, but because we are attacked by our neighbours time and again. When you are in the army, you have promised to sacrifice your life for the nation. Some of them unfortunately die. But, a great majority will survive and the first thing they would like to do is to explore the beauty of this world. So they come to Nepal, to India, to China, to Latin America, all over the world. They love challenging places like high mountains. It is psychological. If I passed the army service, I want to see the world, before getting to the university or marrying and establishing a family. Before taking new obligations and entering the system, you want to discover the world, to know other cultures and other nations.

Lets explore another area of cooperation. There is a considerable number of Nepali migrant workers in Israel, women working as caregivers in particular. While their contribution to their families economics is significant, they might be at risk of labour exploitation. Can you please explain the situation of Nepali workers there and what steps are being taken to ensure their safety?

We have a nice cooperation between the two governments to ensure their safety. We have very good dialogues with the Department of Foreign Employment here and it has asked us to increase the number of what we call caregivers. Earlier, we used to recruit these caregivers through private agencies; but due to reports of deception and exploitation on the part of these agencies, not employers, we have stopped it and everything is done through the government-to-government channel now.

Generally, in Israel, there are no cases of exploitation. Israel is the only democracy in the entire Middle East. We comply with principles of human rights and labour rights. Besides, there are many NGOs which work for protection and promotion of their rights. There are mechanisms to lodge complaints against employers. Therefore there are long lines of Nepali people wanting to go to Israel. After a very short period, they become members of their employers families.

Israelis appreciate the level of work Nepalis perform there. We also have caregivers from other countries as well, but it seems Nepalis are most loved and most appreciated by the employers. It explains why they are willing to stay there as long as possible. There are some Nepalis who are in Israel for as long as 14 years.

There can be some exceptional cases. But, in general, you do not see labour exploitation in Israel as they have quite frequently in other countries. Israel is one of the best destinations for caregivers from Nepal. You can also collect testimonies from people who have returned from Israel. I have met few of them.

Now, back to Nepal againNepal promulgated the new constitution in 2015 and the country has taken a new political course after that. What are your comments on the constitution and its ongoing implementation?

Let me take this opportunity to congratulate the government of Nepal for successfully completing all the elections last year. Now, it seems this government will be there for next five years. I appreciate the vision of leaders including Prime Minister Oli and Prachanda. They could unify the two parties and get nearly two-thirds majority. This is very promising for Nepal, and encouraging for its friends like Israel because we can start working and planning for the long term. The government will not change in next nine months and we want to work with the same government for few years, not few months.

I arrived in Nepal during the time of election campaigning and I was very happy to see how elections happened here peacefully. This event was very important for democracy of Nepal. Finally, the results of elections, which were open, peaceful and fair, are here with us in the form of a more stable government.

It is mainly important for you, Nepali people. But, as a developing country, it is also important for you to know how the international community sees you. Now, we can call Israeli investors to come here and invest. The first question they will ask is about the stability of the political system. Secondly, they would ask something like regulations about foreign money and if they can take the money back easily. I think your new government is opening new doors and promising a better future for Nepali people. It encourages people like us that this is a stable government and we can work on it in many sectors.

As a part of the constitution implementation, Nepal has elected new peoples representatives at local, provincial and federal levels. They have been making tall promises about infrastructural development here. Apparently, we need a lot of foreign support for those projects. How can Israel support us in the journey of making Nepal a prosperous country?

YesI do believe that the potential of extending support to infrastructural developments projects is also apparent here. In fact, we are working towards that direction. We believe that relationships between two countries involve multiple levels and our assistance to Nepal can also go through multiple levels, not only the government but also the private sector and civil society organisations including NGOs. They are also important in promoting dialogues between two nations. This is not only the case of Nepalbut governments of many developing countries do not have sufficient money to launch big development projects. Therefore, we need to cooperate with private companies. We want to extend support from the private sectors too.

Nepal and friends of Nepal need to work together towards the prosperity of Nepal. I am sure you will succeed as you have good leadership and hardworking people, with some help from friendly nations. Though small, we are also one of the friends who can support you with our experiences and technologies. You know we are called a startup nation. We have developed many innovative technologies for different fields.

What do you think will be the way forward for the bilateral relations between the two countries?

We are at the beginning of a very promising period because Nepal has a stable government now. We can find new avenues of cooperation in agriculture, education, health and infrastructures. I am looking forward to stronger ties between Nepal and Israel.

Photos: Israeli Embassy in KathmanduKathmandu, June 11

A 26-year-old Nepali migrant worker attempted to commit suicide after alleged mental torture from his supervisor in Macau, a local television informed.

Ishwor Thing slit his neck with a sharp weapon after failing to tolerate the ignorance of his recruitment agency and mental torture from his Filipino supervisor.

Thing had paid Rs 1.2 million to a recruitment agent, Bishal Thapaliya, to go to Macau around a month ago. On the other hand, it has been learnt that Global Securities, his employer, had received MOP 50,000 (around Rs 670,000) from the agent to provide him the job.

The Filipino supervisor, Joey, had been threatening the victim ever since he joined the company.

According to Macau police, the company authorities would be able to hire new employees if Thing left the job. He attempted suicide inside his hostel room. He had come to Macau taking a loan of Rs 1.2 million and the company said they would not refund the amount. He then tried committing suicide

Thing is undergoing treatment at local Sangteng Hospital.

It has been learnt that a local agent and Non-Resident Nepalis Association leader Yubaraj Neupane had sent a demand letter to Thapaliya.

Meanwhile, the family has demanded strict action against the agent.Timberlake Regional School Board(PLAISTOW, N.H.) -- Fighting back tears, a fifth-grader recently pleaded with her school board to help end bullying.



At a June 7 Timberlane School Board meeting, Delanie Marcotte, who attends Pollard School in Plaistow, New Hampshire, read a letter detailing her experience, hoping district leaders would make a change.



"I have been threatened to get shot in the head with an AK-47 and buried in my backyard and many other things," Delanie said. "I ask you, what are you going to do to protect me and my classmates against bullying?



"I am here to stand up for every kid that gets bullied."



Delanie's speech was met with applause by both board members and meeting attendees.



"Very proud of you for coming," said a female board member, in footage the district posted.



Todd Marcotte, Delanie's father, shared the video on Facebook writing, "This took courage."



Marcotte's post received about 58,000 views and thousands of shares and comments, with some users adding the hashtag #standwithdelanie.



He hasn't yet responded to ABC News' request for a comment, but Amy Marcotte, Delanie's mother, released a statement to ABC-affiliated television station WMUR-TV in Manchester, New Hampshire, that read, in part: "Quite frankly, she is doing something that I would have never had the guts to do, being bullied myself in high school. We stand by her 100 percent and will do whatever it takes to protect our child."



Dr. Earl F. Metzler, superintendent of the Timberlane Regional School District, told ABC News that he supports "student voice."



"We will continue to encourage all students to speak up when they see, hear or experience something that makes them uncomfortable," Metzler wrote in a statement. "The same holds true for parents and community members. There are many vehicles at Timberlane to share your concerns including, but not limited to, the public comment portion of our School Board agenda. We take all of our stakeholders' concerns seriously and will give her concerns our undivided attention."

Copyright  2018, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.



#ransomware hackers arrest Ransomware suspects nabbed in int'l probe involving S. Korea Key members of an international criminal organization suspected of carrying out massive ransomware attacks on South Korean companies and universities in 2019 have been arrested in ...

#cold snap Unseasonable cold snap to drive Seoul's temperatures to 64-year low Temperatures are forecast to drop sharply this coming weekend to a 64-year low for Seoul, the state weather agency said Friday. The morning low is forecast to fall to 1 degree C...Syrian President Bashar Assad said in an interview published Sunday that the West is fueling the devastating war in his country, now in its eighth year, with the aim of toppling him.

Assad told the Mail on Sunday that Western nations have lied about chemical attacks in Syria and supported terrorist groups there, while Russia has supported his government against the foreign invasion.

Assad reiterated his long-held position that the uprising against his rule was part of a conspiracy to remove a leader that did not go along with Western policies in the region. Syria is allied with Iran and Russia, and has had turbulent relations with the West. Syria is technically at war with Israel, which occupies the Syrian Golan Heights, but a cease-fire has largely held since the 1970s.

The whole approach toward Syria in the West is, we have to change this government, we have to demonize this president, because they dont suit our policies anymore.' Assad said. They tell lies, they talk about chemical weapons, they talk about the bad president killing the good people, freedom, peaceful demonstration.

Syrias conflict began in 2011 with peaceful protests against the Assad familys decades-long rule. The governments violent response to the protests, and the eventual rise of an armed insurgency, tipped the country into a civil war that has claimed nearly half a million lives.

Since then, Western nations and independent experts have accused the government of carrying out several chemical weapons attacks, most recently in April, in an attack near Damascus that reportedly killed dozens of people and prompted Western airstrikes. The government has denied ever using chemical weapons.

Assad also dismissed reports that Israel has conducted recent airstrikes in Syria with tacit Russian cooperation. Russia has provided crucial military support to Assads forces, waging an air campaign since 2015 that turned the tide of the war in Assads favor. Iran and Lebanons Hezbollah group have also provided extensive military support.

Russia never coordinated with anyone against Syria, either politically or militarily, Assad said. How could they help the Syrian Army advancing and at the same time work with our enemies in order to destroy our army?

Israel carried out a wave of airstrikes against Iranian forces in Syria last month. The lack of any Russian response, despite the heavy Russian presence in the skies over Syria, suggested that Moscow might have been notified ahead of time.

Assad said he has remained in office through more than seven years of war because he has public support.

We are fighting the terrorists, and those terrorists are supported by the British government, the French government, the Americans and their puppets whether in Europe or in our region, he said.

We are fighting them, and we have public support in Syria to fight those terrorists. Thats why we are advancing. We cannot make these advances just because we have Russian and Iranian support.

On Sunday, airstrikes killed at least nine people in the town of Taftanaz and another two people in nearby towns in the northern Idlib province, according to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The Observatory and an activist-run media center in Taftanaz said a local pediatric hospital was struck, putting it out of order.

(AP)Positivity, usually a word that exudes from my spirit as though it were limitless. I have been through trauma before, through times that are more d...

6 years agoIraq has turned over Ali Bashar, 20, to Germany, where he was wanted in the murder of 14-year-old Suzanne Feldman.

German Interior Minister Horst Zoehrer said Bashar had been flown to Germany to stand trial. Bashar emigrated to Germany about 3 years ago, and after the murder he and his parents and brother fled to his homeland, Iraq, but there he was arrested.

Bashar was arrested a day after the body of 14-year-old Feldman was found in the bushes in Wiesbaden, Germany. He admitted that he strangled her to death, but claimed that he did not murder her for nationalist reasons.

Bashar claims that he and Feldman were friends, but they got into an argument and he murdered her when she threatened that she would call the police, said Tarek Ahmed, the chief of the Dukhuk district police in northern Iraq.

Feldman, whose family lives in Mainz, Germany, disappeared two weeks ago, and last week her body was found buried in the bushes of the city of Wiesbaden.

(YWN Israel Desk  Jerusalem)(VIDEO IN EXTENDED ARTICLE)

In his address to the people of Iran, PM Netanyahu explains the Irans own meteorological organization says nearly 96% of the country suffers some level of drought.

Mr. Netanyahu is offering Israeli state-of-the-art technology to assist Iran in addressing water challenges as Israel recycles nearly 90% of its waste water.

Mr. Netanyahu adds Israel will launch a Farsi website with detailed plans on how Iranians can recycle their waste water.

We will show how Iranian farmers can save their families and feed their cropsThe people of Iran are good and decent and should not have to face a cruel regime on its own

(YWN Israel Desk  Jerusalem)Israeli Police have been instructed by the Deputy Attorney General Mumi Lamberger to cease issuing tickets based on speed cameras catching cars traveling above the speed limit until an in-depth investigation can be completed into the serviceability of all stationary speed cameras.

Channel two news reported the change in policy on Sunday evening. the traffic division of the Israeli police said that the issue is indeed being looked into. We would like to remind the drivers across the country that the speed cameras will continue to document reckless driving. The decision regarding whether to issue a ticket based of that documentation will be made at the end of the investigative process. The decision was made following many cases of court decisions and complaints by citizens of being forced to pay exorbitant sums based on traffic violations that were not reflective of the situation at hand.

Since the inception of the digital speed camera manufactured by Malam Team and its use in giving tickets in Israel in 2013, more than 100 such cameras have been st up across Israel. These cameras have printed hundreds of thousands of tickets and caused thousands of drivers to lose their license. For many others it has caused them to pay exorbitant sums that add up to millions of shekels worth of fines.

It is important to note that regular laser activated speed cameras, that are not Malam Team, will still be operational throughout the country.

In fact, this is the victory of quite a few drivers who have long claimed that the cameras in question are unreliable. The start was still in the old cameras, when drivers received speeding summonses, and they banded together and appealed the fine to the court, claiming that the cameras were unreliable.

They began a thorough examination based on the data presented by the representative of the Standards Institution, and then it became clear that the tests did not match everything that was claimed. A few weeks ago, when the conclusions reached the Technion, it was decided to hold a joint meeting of all the relevant parties, and at the end the State Attorney decided to instruct the police not to issue additional summonses based on the cameras.

Various sources involved in the matter say that this is a blow to the state coffers, which was enriched at the expense of citizens who received large fines of NIS 750 per summons.

In light of this, the deputy state prosecutor ordered that the roads continue to be photographed, but for the time being not to send summonses. It should be noted that these are hundreds of millions of shekels collected from the public in recent years as a result of reports that came after a photograph from these cameras.

The police said in response: The issue is indeed under investigation, but speed cameras will continue to document speeding, and enforcement decisions will be made at the end of the tests.

(YWN Israel Desk  Jerusalem)Three Gulf Arab states pledged $2.5 billion in aid to Jordan on Monday in an effort to stabilize the U.S.-allied kingdom as it faces its worst protests in years over government austerity plans that include tax increases.

The money from Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates will go toward a deposit in Jordans Central Bank, cover World Bank guarantees for the kingdom, offer budget support and finance other development projects.

The hope is the five-year aid package, which mirrors a similar aid package offered by Gulf states in 2011, will help Jordan come up with a new, more-palatable austerity plan to satisfy international lenders and its public.

The money came after an early morning meeting in Mecca attended by Jordans King Abdullah II, Saudi King Salman, Kuwaits ruling emir Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Sabah and Dubais ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the UAEs vice president and prime minister. Also on hand was Saudi Arabias assertive 32-year-old Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, though he sat off to the side of a circular table that hosted the leaders.

The statement quoted King Abdullah II as saying he hoped the aid would help his country overcome its fiscal crisis.

In December 2011, the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council that is headquartered in Saudi Arabia pledged to give $2.5 billion in aid each to Jordan and Morocco, both of which had been invited to join the regional group that year.

The pledge from the GCC was to last five years. It expired last year and so far the six-member GCC has yet to offer any additional funding as the bloc remains split by a diplomatic crisis with Qatar. Jordan receives over $1 billion a year from the U.S., as well as aid from Europe and elsewhere.

Jordans protests have led to the firing of its prime minister. While peaceful, the protests threaten the stability of a kingdom strained by hosting those who fled the wars in Iraq and Syria. Jordan also is one of only two Arab nations to have full diplomatic relations with Israel and plays an instrumental role in the region and in Israeli-Palestinian peace efforts.

(AP)(PHOTOS IN EXTENDED ARTICLE)

Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz visited the Kosel on Sunday evening 27 Sivan. The visit carries significance as he is the first leader from a European Union (EU) nation to visit the Old city in recent years.

The chancellor was accompanied by his entourage, which included the Minister of Education, Minister of Science & Research, and leaders of the Jewish community in Austria. The visit was part of his official visit to Jerusalem.

Upon his arrival, Chancellor Kurz met with talmidim from Haifa who were at the Kosel on a school trip, speaking with them about the significance of the Kosel. Kurz also posed for a number of photos with them.

Rav of the Kosel & Holy Sites Rabbi Shmuel Rabinowitz was present, reciting perek 121 of Tehillim together with the visiting dignitary. Kurz then recited his own private prayer and left a note at the Kosel as many visitors do. He stated, Today is a big day, to visit the Kosel, a holy sublime venue, a venue of eternal importance for the Jewish people.

The Chancellor also visited Yad Vashem, the grave of Shimon Peres and met with Prime Minister Netanyahu.

Chancellor of Austria @sebastiankurz and #YVchairShalev sign an Agreement of Principle ensuring that Yad Vashem will be granted access to the Austrian State Archives and the Mauthausen Memorial, and the ability to copy documents relating to the Holocaust. pic.twitter.com/kbUT7cBmKA  Yad Vashem (@yadvashem) June 10, 2018

It was a pleasure meeting the Prime Minister of #Israel Benjamin Netanyahu in #Jerusalem today. Thank you very much for your hospitality and your friendship, Bibi @netanyahu! 1/3 pic.twitter.com/w9oA3pYsbY  Sebastian Kurz (@sebastiankurz) June 11, 2018

#Austria has in light of its history a special responsibility towards #Israel and the Jewish people. I assured Bibi @netanyahu that Austria will fight all forms of #antisemitism in #Europe with determination and supports the state of Israel as well as its #security needs. 2/3  Sebastian Kurz (@sebastiankurz) June 11, 2018

We are happy that the trade relations between #Israel and #Austria are growing & that #tourism is at an all-time high. To foster our strong relations we are together with our minister of education enhancing our cooperation on #education, #research & youth exchange. @netanyahu 3/3 pic.twitter.com/uSlLhl6Q1o  Sebastian Kurz (@sebastiankurz) June 11, 2018

(YWN Israel Desk  Jerusalem)Rolls-Royce is poised to axe 4,000 jobs as part of its brutal overhaul to rein in costs.

The cull of managers and administrative staff is expected to be announced at a meeting on Friday, when boss Warren East will speak to investors.

Hardest hit will be the engineering giants base in Derby where most of its white-collar staff are located. Rolls has been based in Derby since 1906.

Rolls-Royce is expected to announce 4,000 job cuts on Friday. The cull of managers and administrative staff will hit hardest at the engineering giants base in Derby

About 14,000 of the groups staff work there, meaning the cuts could wipe out a quarter of the local workforce. It will not affect some 7,000 front-line engineers, however, who are protected under a deal with unions.

The cuts would be some of the most severe announced so far by East, who has slashed about 5,500 jobs since taking over in 2015.

He brought in advisers at Alvarez & Marsal to help the restructuring, which includes plans to sell its marine arm and focus on the three divisions of civil aerospace, defence and power.

Rolls is also set to quit its plush London HQ in Buckingham Gate, with East saying it is looking for a smaller and less-expensive site.

JP Morgan analysts believe the firm will seek cuts of up to 10 per cent of the 50,000 workforce this week, although the actual figure is not expected to be that high. They reduction could net 200million in cost savings, they added.

Yesterday union bosses and MPs reacted to the suggestion with surprise and dismay.

Tony Tinley, Unites regional officer, said: It is not something I have been made aware of. At the moment this is pure speculation.

Labours Chris Williamson, MP for Derby North, said such reductions would be a major step up from previous job cuts. This is the first I have heard of it, he added.

Meanwhile, Rolls is grappling with problems with its flagship Trent 1000 Package C aeroplane engines. It has ramped up inspections around the world amid concerns they are deteriorating faster than expected.

The Trent engines are used in Boeing 787 Dreamliner planes and some have been grounded because of the problem, which could take up to four years and cost around 750million to fix.

It is understood that upcoming job cuts at the company are not connected to the issue.

Last night a Rolls-Royce spokesman said: In January, we announced a simplification of our business and began work on a restructuring of our support and management functions.

We added at the time of our annual results in March that we would focus on operational restructuring of management, support and engineering and technology functions across the corporate centre and also in our three divisions: civil aerospace, defence and power, and systems.

We are proposing to move to a considerably simplified staff structure, with fewer layers and greater spans of control across the group.

We said we had retained restructuring experts Alvarez & Marsal to support us.

We added that we expected this programme to deliver a significant reduction in costs and assist us in improving performance across the group as a whole, and that we would provide clarity of these benefits at an event for financial analysts and investors on June 15.

'We are not commenting on current media speculation about the potential impact.Rolls-Royce shares took a hit today after it warned that it will incur unforeseen additional costs after discovering technical issues with another set of its engines. The news comes on the heels of revelations that it is considering axing up to 4000 workers in a cost-cutting effort.

Elsewhere 'big four' auditor KPMG has been fined 4.5million by the accountancy watchdog over its audit of insurance firm Quindell.

In economy news, output in Britain's manufacturing sector suffered its sharpest decline since 2012 in April, painting a worrying picture for the country's growth prospects at the start of the second quarter.

Official data from the Office for National Statistics showed that manufacturing output fell by 1.4 per cent month on month, the steepest decline since October 2012.Rolls-Royce said it has to carry out more tests on its flagship Trent 1000 Package B engines which are used in the Boeing 787 Dreamliner.

The inspection of another 166 engines that have been in service since 2012 will mean additional costs but the problems will not affect full-year profits, the engineering giant said.

The latest tests come as Rolls Royce has ramped up inspections around the world amid concerns they are deteriorating faster than expected.

Engine problems: Rolls Royce has ramped up inspections amid concerns they are deteriorating faster than expected

In March, the group found components were wearing out sooner than expected on up to 500 Package C Trent 1000 engines. It said it could take up to four years and cost around 750million to fix problems.

The manufacturing problems come while the company is reportedly cutting 4,000 jobs as part of its brutal overhaul to rein in costs.

The cull of managers and administrative staff is expected to be announced at a meeting on Friday, when boss Warren East will speak to investors.

Hardest hit will be the engineering giants base in Derby where most of its white-collar staff are located. Rolls has been based in Derby since 1906.

It is understood that upcoming job cuts at the company are not connected to the issue.

East, who has said the company is inefficient, hired Alvarez & Marsal to carry out the restructuring.

Rolls-Royce returned to profit last year with a pre-tax surplus of 4.9billion, thanks to a 2.6billion accounting boost from the recent strengthening of the pound.

Shares were down 6p, or 0.7 per cent, at 829.4p in morning trading.It has become a favourite of the Royal family and been manufactured exclusively in Britain since it first rolled off the production line almost 30 years ago.

But yesterday Jaguar Land Rover announced it is to shift all production of the Land Rover Discovery from Birmingham to Slovakia, putting hundreds of jobs at risk.

The company said the switch will take place early next year and that agency workers are most under threat of losing their jobs.

Two years ago the firm, owned by Indias Tata Motors, insisted that its new Slovakia plant would complement its UK operations, with the Discovery built in both locations.

British heritage: But Jaguar Land Rover has announced it is to shift all production of the Land Rover Discovery from Birmingham to Slovakia, putting hundreds of jobs at risk

Yesterday Jaguar Land Rover said all its Discovery off road vehicles will be made in the Eastern European nation.

The firm said it was a tough decision but it will allow it to slash costs and free up space at the Solihull plant, which is being revamped to build the next generation of Range Rovers.

It stressed that it remains committed to the UK as it outlined plans to invest hundreds of millions in upgrading its plants in Solihull and Halewood to build to the next versions of hybrid and electric Range Rover models.

The Land Rover Discovery Sport (pictured) will still be made at the Halewood plant.

The Discovery has been built in Solihull since it was launched in 1989.

The Duke of Cambridge was recently pictured driving his son Louis home from hospital in a 60,000 seven-seater Discovery. The Solihull plant employs around 10,000 staff, and between 500 and 1,000 agency staff.

Although the livelihoods of many of these agency workers are under threat, JLR said the decision to upgrade its factories in Solihull and Halewood should safeguard the future these plants and the vast majority of its work force.

A JLR spokesman said: The decision to move the Land Rover Discovery to Slovakia and the potential losses of some agency employed staff in the UK is a tough one but forms part of our long-term manufacturing strategy as we transform our business globally.

He added: This significant investment and technology upgrade in Solihull in order to accommodate our next-generation of flagship Land Rover models, and the refit of our Halewood plant for the next Evoque, is proof we remain committed both to the UK and to transformation and growth.

JLR said the switch of production to the 1bn plant in Nitra, Slovakia  which is due to open at the end of the year  is not connected to concerns over Brexit.

However painful the move is for many agency workers, industry experts have stressed that overall JLRs heavy investment in its factories is a boost for Britain.

David Bailey, the professor of industrial strategy at Aston University, said it has raised hopes that the JLRs first electric car  the I-Pace  will be built in Britain.The threat of a bidding war over Inmarsat sent shares surging nearly 13 per cent.

The satellite communications company revealed it had fended off a takeover approach from US private equity fund Echostar.

Analysts believe the bid could lead to other offers for the British company, which is thought to be worth about 2.4billion.

Into orbit: The threat of a bidding war over satellite communications firm Inmarsat sent shares surging by 12 per cent

But concern about UK companies being snapped up by overseas buyers is growing, with critics warning sensitive technologies are being sold with too little attention paid to security risks.

The 2016 sale of ARM Holdings to Japanese group Softbank in 2016 came under fresh scrutiny last week when it emerged part of the firm had been sold to state-backed Chinese buyers, a deal which experts said posed a potential security risk.

Yesterday analysts said US-based Echostar owns Hughes Communications and DISH, two rival satellite service firms, and that Inmarsats spectrum licences would be extremely valuable to it and other operators.

Analysts at RBC said: We believe the situation could become a bidding war between multiple potential bidders.

Inmarsat is behind technology that tracks aeroplanes and ships, allowing them to communicate with land bases. It controls 13 satellites which are in a fixed orbit around the Earth.

The company was originally set up by the United Nations in 1979 to enable ships to stay in touch with shore or to call for help in an emergency, with its offices located in Londons Euston Tower.

But it was privatised in the 1990s after UN member states refused to pay to improve its network. Since then its value has grown as it has expanded into other services such as mobile phone networks and broadband.

Yesterday its shares closed 12.7 per cent, or 60.1p, higher at 534p. Interest in Inmarsat comes as a host of multinational companies are looking at investing in satellite networks.

Softbank, Google and Facebook are all considering it, while SpaceX has vowed to create a satellite broadband service.

Inmarsat, which employs about 2,000 mostly based in London, gave no value of the Echostar offer in its statement on Friday but said the approach undervalued the firm.

RBC has said its spectrum could be 1000p per share and pointed to other rival communications providers Via Sat, Eutelsat and SES as possible bidders. Inmarsats investment in passenger internet services for aeroplanes is also seen as valuable.

Morgan Stanley analysts said buying Inmarsat and the 13 satellites that provide services to airlines, broadcast media companies and the oil and gas industry, could allow Echostar to outpace Via Sat in the race to achieve fully global coverage.

However, others said any takeover could face regulatory hurdles as Britain classes satellite infrastructure as strategic.. ,          ,    .     The Daily Telegraph ,   ... :    ,     ,   ,     

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 : !Some years ago I got a job with a Santa Fe-based company, and I drove from Alaska to New Mexico, where I stopped for onboarding on my way to work in their Washington, DC office. The four corners area is truly sublime, and over the next year I had ample opportunity to return to Santa Fe and explore the four corners area by car.

I loved every minute of it, but I can tell you if this guide had been available I would have loved it even more. Roadtrip America: Arizona and New Mexico: 25 Scenic Side Trips by Rick Quinn is a fantastic guidebook. It's comprehensive, up-to-date and the format is perfect: every route in the books starts and ends on the Interstate system, but takes you far beyond to the places that are most interesting.

Rick clearly put in the miles to make this great book. Reading through it I kept thinking, "I can't believe I missed that!" From Billy the Kid's haunts and hideouts to abandoned architectural experiments to Indian cliff dwellings to beautifully raw landscapes, Rick's book covers it all.

The format matches the high quality of the content. Four color-coded sections are filled with gorgeous photography and clear maps that invite exploration. Callouts highlight attractions both natural and human-made, as well as local legends and history. We really can't say enough good things about this book; if you're driving through the area, or even just thinking about it, just get it. Now where is the Utah and Colorado edition to complete the four corners tour?

$23.11 at AmazonVast Resources plc / Ticker: VAST / Index: AIM / Sector: Mining

11 June 2018

Vast Resources plc

("Vast" or the "Company")

Letter to Shareholders

Notice of General Meeting

Vast Resources plc, the AIM-listed mining company with operations in Romania and Zimbabwe, announces that a Circular including a Notice of General Meeting of the Company was posted to shareholders on the evening of 8 June 2018. The General Meeting will be held at 2.30pm on Monday 25 June 2018 at the Company's registered office, 6th Floor, 60 Gracechurch Street, London EC3V 0HR. A copy of the Circular and Notice of General Meeting will be available on the Company's website at www.vastresourcesplc.com.

The purpose of the Circular is to seek through the passing of Resolutions at the General Meeting approval for granting the Directors authority to issue new equity share capital up to specified limits, and to disapply statutory pre-emption rights, and to explain the reason for the proposals.

Background

In the Circular to shareholders of 24 November 2017, which resulted in a fully subscribed Open Offer that raised 1.3 million, the Directors confirmed that they had estimated a strategic funding requirement for the Company's operations of $10 million. The Circular also stated that the Directors believed that a significant proportion of this requirement could be met from off-take debt finance. This off-take finance has indeed proved to be the case as confirmed by the pre-payment off-take agreement with Mercuria Energy Trading SA concluded on 21 March 2018.

Since the Circular, new developments and opportunities, coupled with the cost of an additional six months of de-watering at Baita Plai, have given rise to an additional funding requirement for the Company, as judged from the date of the last Circular, of approximately $2.25 million (approximately 1.65 million), comprised as follows:

$m $m Baita Plai Polymetallic Mine Additional expenditure under Association Licence Agreement 0.300 Dewatering costs December 2017 to May 2018 0.450 0.750 Manaila Polymetallic Mine Deposit on new dumpers/excavators 0.500 Seed capital for new projects 0.750 Legal costs of financing agreements 0.250 2.250

The Directors believe that the revised expenditure will add to shareholder value and accordingly are asking Shareholders to grant them authority to issue additional equity share capital in order to raise funds to balance the Company's requirements.

The reasons for the expenditure are explained below.

Baita Plai Polymetallic Mine (BPPM)

The basic commercial terms of the Association Licence Agreement at BPPM were stipulated in a document issued for the competitive selection process in which we were successful. However, as announced on 30 May 2018, we have now agreed some additional terms. The Company's subsidiary has agreed a lease from Baita SA of various mining equipment and, most importantly, access to previously mined upper galleries which give ready access to other highly prospective areas of the perimeter. We have also agreed to install a second independent electricity supply line in addition to the first, to which we are already committed, which will give us security of supply.

The additional terms involve an upfront cost of approximately $300,000 which was not taken into account in the strategic funding requirement estimate for BPPM set out in the 24 November Circular. Since that Circular, we have also been required to continue the expense of de-watering at BPPM, at an aggregate cost of approximately $450,000.

Manaila Polymetallic Mine (MPM)

As announced on 8 May 2018 in the Quarterly Production Summary and Operations Update, following catching up with waste stripping, grade and performance have now significantly improved.

The limiting factor at MPM currently, and which will continue at least until the planned new metallurgical plant has been completed anticipated to be in March 2020, is the availability of dumpers and excavators on the mine site and of trucks to carry the ore to the processing plant at Iacobeni some 32km away. The existing trucks and dumpers are rented and are not new.

A leasing package opportunity has arisen to acquire a fleet of new state of the art dumpers and excavators having a capital value of approximately $5 million, which would involve a cash deposit by the Group of $500,000. This should enable us to increase production at MPM by 50% without any commensurate increase in overheads and also at a lower direct mining/transport cost per tonne of ore mined, and thus materially increasing profitability until the new process plant is completed.

Seed capital

In Andrew Prelea's introductory statement as Chief Executive Officer of the Company, announced on 2 January 2018, he said that expansion was a core pillar of our strategy, and new projects and opportunities in both Romania and Zimbabwe would continue to be assessed, provided they would not impact current projects or overall performance. He went on to say that it was our intention to undertake new projects that did not require significant capital or human resources from the parent company.

Since the beginning of 2018, and pursuant to this strategy, we have been investigating several opportunities both in Romania and in Zimbabwe where, in each case, we believe we can obtain third party finance on the basis of the Company managing the project and earning a management/deal maker share. Apart from the acquisition of a 23.75% stake in the Eureka Gold Mine in Zimbabwe, announced 27 April 2018, we are not yet in a position to make announcements concerning any of these projects, but they now form a significant pipeline and we believe that they will be capable of delivering a new source of income for the Company, coupled with capital growth arising from the equity positions obtained.

Although it is the intention that any acquisition arising from this strategy be funded by third parties, the activity does incur seed costs through senior management requirement and also a measure of consultancy fees. We have budgeted an additional $750,000 for this, which sum is included in the funding requirement.

The Resolutions

Pursuant to the Company's intentions, Resolution 1, if passed, will give authority to the Directors to issue up to 400 million shares representing 7.79% of the Company's existing issued share capital, and Resolution 2, if passed, will give authority to the Directors to disapply pre-emption rights in respect of the said 400 million shares.

The Directors do not have any present intention of using more of this authority than is required to raise an additional 1.65 million (approximately $2.25 million).

Action to be taken

Shareholders have been sent a Form of Proxy for use at the General Meeting. Whether or not shareholders intend to be present at the General Meeting they are requested to complete and return the form of Proxy in accordance with the instructions printed thereon. To be valid, completed Forms of Proxy must be received by the Registrar as soon as possible, and in any event not later than 2.30pm on 21 June 2018. Completion of a form of proxy will not preclude shareholders from attending the meeting and voting in person if they so choose.

Recommendation

The Directors believe that the ability to obtain the necessary finance and therefore the passing of the Resolutions is important to the Company and Shareholders taken as a whole. The Directors unanimously recommend the shareholders to vote in favour of the Resolutions as they intend to do in respect of their own shareholdings amounting to 50,045,765 ordinary shares (approximately 0.97% of the total issued shares).

**ENDS**

For further information, visit www.vastresourcesplc.com or please contact:

Vast Resources plc

Andrew Prelea (Chief Executive Officer) www.vastresourcesplc.com

+44 (0) 20 7236 1177



Beaumont Cornish - Financial & Nominated Adviser

Roland Cornish

James Biddle



www.beaumontcornish.com

+44 (0) 020 7628 3396 Brandon Hill Capital Ltd - Joint Broker

Jonathan Evans



www.brandonhillcapital.com

+44 (0) 20 3463 5016 SVS Securities Plc - Joint Broker

Tom Curran

Ben Tadd www.svssecurities.com

+44 (0) 20 3700 0100







St Brides Partners Ltd

Susie Geliher

Charlotte Page



www.stbridespartners.co.uk

+44 (0) 20 7236 1177

The information contained within this announcement is deemed by the Company to constitute inside information as stipulated under the Market Abuse Regulations (EU) No. 596/2014 ("MAR").

Notes

Vast Resources plc is an AIM listed mining and resource development company focussed on the rapid advancement of high quality brownfield projects and recommencing production at previously producing mines in Romania.

Vast Resources currently owns and operates the Manaila Polymetallic Mine in Romania, which was commissioned in 2015 and is focussed on its expansion through the development of a second open pit operation and new metallurgical complex at the Carlibaba Extension Area. The Company's portfolio also includes an 80% interest in the Baita Plai Polymetallic Mine in Romania, where work is currently underway towards obtaining the relevant permissions to start developing and ultimately commissioning the mine.

The Company also has interests in a number of projects in Southern Africa including a controlling 25% interest in the producing Pickstone-Peerless Gold Mine in Zimbabwe.FORM 8.3

PUBLIC OPENING POSITION DISCLOSURE/DEALING DISCLOSURE BY

A PERSON WITH INTERESTS IN RELEVANT SECURITIES REPRESENTING 1% OR MORE

Rule 8.3 of the Takeover Code (the Code)

1. KEY INFORMATION

(a) Full name of discloser: Man Group Plc (b) Owner or controller of interests and short positions disclosed, if different from 1(a):

N/A (c) Name of offeror/offeree in relation to whose relevant securities this form relates:

ZPG plc (d) If an exempt fund manager connected with an offeror/offeree, state this and specify identity of offeror/offeree: N/A (e) Date position held/dealing undertaken:

08th June 2018 (f) In addition to the company in 1(c) above, is the discloser making disclosures in respect of any other party to the offer?

YES / NO / N/A

If YES, specify which:





2. POSITIONS OF THE PERSON MAKING THE DISCLOSURE

(a) Interests and short positions in the relevant securities of the offeror or offeree to which the disclosure relates following the dealing (if any)

Class of relevant security:



0.1p ordinary



Interests Short positions Number % Number % (1) Relevant securities owned and/or controlled: 0 0 0 0 (2) Cash-settled derivatives:



7,927,057



1.8081 1,800



0.0004 (3) Stock-settled derivatives (including options) and agreements to purchase/sell: 0 0 0 0



TOTAL: 7,927,057



1.8081 1,800



0.0004

All interests and all short positions should be disclosed.

Details of any open stock-settled derivative positions (including traded options), or agreements to purchase or sell relevant securities, should be given on a Supplemental Form 8 (Open Positions).

(b) Rights to subscribe for new securities (including directors and other employee options)

Class of relevant security in relation to which subscription right exists: Details, including nature of the rights concerned and relevant percentages:

3. DEALINGS (IF ANY) BY THE PERSON MAKING THE DISCLOSURE

Where there have been dealings in more than one class of relevant securities of the offeror or offeree named in 1(c), copy table 3(a), (b), (c) or (d) (as appropriate) for each additional class of relevant security dealt in.

The currency of all prices and other monetary amounts should be stated.

(a) Purchases and sales

Class of relevant security Purchase/sale



Number of securities Price per unit

(b) Cash-settled derivative transactions

Class of relevant security Product description

e.g. CFD Nature of dealing

e.g. opening/closing a long/short position, increasing/reducing a long/short position Number of reference securities Price per unit

(GBP) 0.1p ordinary CFD Reducing a short position 1,200 4.8908

(c) Stock-settled derivative transactions (including options)

(i) Writing, selling, purchasing or varying

Class of relevant security Product description e.g. call option Writing, purchasing, selling, varying etc. Number of securities to which option relates Exercise price per unit Type

e.g. American, European etc. Expiry date Option money paid/ received per unit

(ii) Exercise

Class of relevant security Product description

e.g. call option Exercising/ exercised against Number of securities Exercise price per unit





(d) Other dealings (including subscribing for new securities)

Class of relevant security Nature of dealing

e.g. subscription, conversion Details Price per unit (if applicable)

4. OTHER INFORMATION

(a) Indemnity and other dealing arrangements

Details of any indemnity or option arrangement, or any agreement or understanding, formal or informal, relating to relevant securities which may be an inducement to deal or refrain from dealing entered into by the person making the disclosure and any party to the offer or any person acting in concert with a party to the offer:

Irrevocable commitments and letters of intent should not be included. If there are no such agreements, arrangements or understandings, state none



None





(b) Agreements, arrangements or understandings relating to options or derivatives

Details of any agreement, arrangement or understanding, formal or informal, between the person making the disclosure and any other person relating to:

(i) the voting rights of any relevant securities under any option; or

(ii) the voting rights or future acquisition or disposal of any relevant securities to which any derivative is referenced:

If there are no such agreements, arrangements or understandings, state none



None





(c) Attachments

Is a Supplemental Form 8 (Open Positions) attached? YES/ NO





Date of disclosure: 11th June 2018 Contact name: Matthew Irwin



Telephone number: 02071447255

Public disclosures under Rule 8 of the Code must be made to a Regulatory Information Service and must also be emailed to the Takeover Panel at monitoring@disclosure.org.uk. The Panels Market Surveillance Unit is available for consultation in relation to the Codes disclosure requirements on +44 (0)20 7638 0129.

The Code can be viewed on the Panels website at www.thetakeoverpanel.org.uk.LONDON, June 11, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The development of Hurricanes Lancaster early production system (EPS) remains on track for H119 first oil. We estimate a 1 January 2018 point-forward IRR of 63% for the EPS phase based on current commodity price forecasts. We use the EIAs short-term oil forecast with Brent at $66/bbl for 2019 and long-term $70/bbl (from 2022). We believe the market is fully valuing a 10-year Lancaster EPS phase (34.7p/share net of debt), a project that has the potential to significantly de-risk our RENAV of 81.0p/share (increased from 78.4p/share). Our RENAV includes a risked value for Lancaster full field development and two mid-sized field developments (250mmbo) at Lincoln and Halifax.



Our RENAV stands at 81.0p/share (up 3% from 78.4p/share) as we mark to market for EIA 2019 oil price assumptions and increase our EPS commercial chance of success from 90% to 100%. We continue to include 10% capex cost contingency, which we expect to release closer to first oil.



Click here to view the full report.

All reports published by Edison are available to download free of charge from its website www.edisoninvestmentresearch.com

About Edison: Edison is an investment research and advisory company, with offices in North America, Europe, the Middle East and AsiaPac. The heart of Edison is our world-renowned equity research platform and deep multi-sector expertise. At Edison Investment Research, our research is widely read by international investors, advisers and stakeholders. Edison Advisors leverages our core research platform to provide differentiated services including investor relations and strategic consulting.

Edison is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.

Edison is not an adviser or broker-dealer and does not provide investment advice. Edisons reports are not solicitations to buy or sell any securities.

For more information please contact Edison:

Sanjeev Bahl, +44 (0)20 3077 5742

Carlos Gomes, +44 (0)20 3077 5700

Oilandgas@edisongroup.com

Learn more at www.edisongroup.com and connect with Edison on:

LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/edison-investment-research

Twitter www.twitter.com/Edison_Inv_Res

YouTube www.youtube.com/edisonitvMONACO, June 11, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Scorpio Bulkers Inc. (NYSE:SALT) (Scorpio Bulkers, or the Company) announced today that the Company has received a commitment for a loan facility of up to $30.0 million from ING Bank N.V. to refinance two of the Companys Kamsarmax bulk carriers (SBI Zumba and SBI Parapara).



The loan facility has a final maturity date of five years from drawdown date and bears interest at LIBOR plus a margin of 2.20% per annum. This loan facility increases the Companys liquidity by approximately $8.0 million after repayment of the vessels existing debt. The terms and conditions are similar to those set forth in the Company's existing credit facilities and the loan facility is subject to customary conditions precedent and the execution of definitive documentation.

About Scorpio Bulkers Inc.

Scorpio Bulkers Inc. is a provider of marine transportation of dry bulk commodities. Scorpio Bulkers Inc. has an operating fleet of 56 vessels consisting of 55 wholly-owned or finance leased drybulk vessels (including 18 Kamsarmax vessels and 37 Ultramax vessels), and one time chartered-in Ultramax vessel. In addition, one Kamsarmax vessel which is being constructed at Jiangsu New Yangzijiang Shipbuilding Co Ltd in China is expected to be delivered to the Company in the second quarter of 2018. Upon final delivery of the last vessel, the Companys owned and finance leased fleet is expected to have a total carrying capacity of approximately 3.9 million dwt and all of the Companys owned vessels will have carrying capacities of greater than 60,000 dwt. Additional information about the Company is available on the Companys website www.scorpiobulkers.com, which is not a part of this press release.

Forward-Looking Statements

Matters discussed in this press release may constitute forward-looking statements. The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 provides safe harbor protections for forward-looking statements in order to encourage companies to provide prospective information about their business. Forward-looking statements include statements concerning plans, objectives, goals, strategies, future events or performance, and underlying assumptions and other statements, which are other than statements of historical facts. The Company desires to take advantage of the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and is including this cautionary statement in connection with this safe harbor legislation. The words believe, anticipate, intend, estimate, forecast, project, plan, potential, may, should, expect, pending and similar expressions identify forward-looking statements.

The forward-looking statements in this press release are based upon various assumptions, many of which are based, in turn, upon further assumptions, including without limitation, our managements examination of historical operating trends, data contained in our records and other data available from third parties. Although we believe that these assumptions were reasonable when made, because these assumptions are inherently subject to significant uncertainties and contingencies which are difficult or impossible to predict and are beyond our control, we cannot assure you that we will achieve or accomplish these expectations, beliefs or projections.

In addition to these important factors, other important factors that, in our view, could cause actual results to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements include the failure of counterparties to fully perform their contracts with us, the strength of world economies and currencies, general market conditions, including fluctuations in charter rates and vessel values, changes in demand for dry bulk vessel capacity, changes in our operating expenses, including bunker prices, drydocking and insurance costs, the market for our vessels, availability of financing and refinancing, charter counterparty performance, ability to obtain financing and comply with covenants in such financing arrangements, changes in governmental rules and regulations or actions taken by regulatory authorities, potential liability from pending or future litigation, general domestic and international political conditions, potential disruption of shipping routes due to accidents or political events, vessels breakdowns and instances of off-hires and other factors. Please see our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission for a more complete discussion of these and other risks and uncertainties.Houston, Texas, June 11, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Fengate Real Asset Investments (Fengate) is pleased to announce a $100 million equity commitment and co-development partnership with Texas-based PowerFin Partners (PowerFin) and the acquisition of a 9.1 MWdc portfolio of operating solar projects in Austin and San Antonio, Texas, from PowerFin, as the seed investment.

The multi-year investment will fund the development and construction of PowerFins significant pipeline of solar projects in Texas. In addition, Fengate will exclusively invest in all the partnerships solar projects over multiple years.

Fengate is pleased to partner with PowerFin to further expand our renewable energy platform in Texas, the fastest growing solar market in the United States, said Greg Calhoun, Director, Infrastructure US, Fengate. The solar projects that we are acquiring are very attractive assets with 20- and 25-year power purchase agreements from highly rated counterparties. Greg added, This investment will build and provide clean, reliable sources of energy, in partnership with one of the most experienced power developers and operators in Texas, and provide stable long-term cash flows for our investors.

Fengate is a leading investment firm specializing in real assets, with a focus on infrastructure, private equity and real estate, and with more than $2.8 billion total equity commitments to date, including a renewable energy portfolio comprising wind, solar, hydro and biomass projects across North America. This transaction represents Fengates third clean energy co-development partnership investment in North America  the second this year.

Fengate has established itself as one of the most active real asset investors in North America and is currently leveraging the firms experience, relationships and track record to focus on expanding its US platform. Over the past eight months, Fengate has opened a new office in Houston; hired Greg Calhoun, formerly with BayernLB, to lead infrastructure investment activities, investor and partner relationships in the US market; relocated team members to the firms US offices; and brought onboard Martin Klepper, former head of the USDOT Build America Bureau, as Chairman of the Board, Infrastructure US.

As a well-capitalized investment firm with meaningful experience investing in renewable energy and public-private partnerships, Fengate is an ideal investment partner for PowerFins fully integrated development, construction and operating approach to solar. Fengates ability to work with PowerFin from beginning to end provides a continuity and efficiency that is important to maintaining mutually beneficial relationships with property owners, utilities and their customers, stated Tuan Pham, President of PowerFin. He added, As solar becomes increasingly competitive with conventional power, responsibly balancing customer demands with utility policies will become increasingly critical.

###

About Fengate

Fengate is a leading investment firm specializing in real assets, with a focus on infrastructure, private equity and real estate. With offices in Toronto, Oakville, Vancouver, Houston and New York, Fengate has a proven track record of successful projects and results-driven partnerships, establishing the firm as one of the most active real asset investors in North America. Through our experience, expertise and industry relationships, our clients gain access to high-barrier-to-entry investment solutions which deliver superior risk-adjusted returns. Learn more at www.fengate.com.

About PowerFin Partners

PowerFin is an independent power developer and operator with offices in Austin and San Antonio, Texas. Founded in 2007, it is one of the longest standing solar development firms in Texas. The company is highly focused on unlocking the distributed and on-peak value of solar within the context of existing power market design. Through the integration of development, construction and operating activities, PowerFin delivers cost-competitive solar  both distributed and utility-scale  under reliable long-term electricity contracts with utilities, governments, corporations and other consumers. www.powerfinpartners.com

AttachmentsAncient, central role of brain peptide TCAP in maintenance of brain health elucidated in publications in Cell, Nature Communications, and the Journal of Neuro-endocrinology

NEW YORK, June 11, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Protagenic Therapeutics, Inc. (OTCQB: PTIX) announced today that the naturally-occurring brain peptide upon which its lead drug compound, PT00114, is based, known scientifically as teneurin C-terminal associated peptide (TCAP), has been featured in three peer-reviewed publications in major scientific journals.

Li et al. (2018) in a paper in Cell provide definitive evidence that TCAP (a portion of the brain protein teneurin, expressed on the surface of neurons) signals to adjacent nerve cells through G-protein-couipled receptors termed latrophilins. This signal stabilizes neuronal connections in regions of the brain involved in fear, memory, emotion, and stress responses. The dependence of this signaling on the TCAP portion of teneurin and the role of latrophilin are both demonstrated. This helps solidify the mechanism of action of Protagenics clinical development candidate PT00114, which is a synthetic form of TCAP, heading toward clinical trials in 2019. PT00114 has been shown to ameliorate a broad range of stress-related behavioral disorders in rodents. This Cell publication supports the view that PT00114 is exerting its anti-stress activities through latrophilins. This paper supports work from the laboratory of Dr. David Lovejoy, Protagenics scientific founder, implicating latrophilins as the receptors for TCAP and PT00114.

Additionally, a paper in Nature Communications (Jackson et al., 2018) has shed light on the possible evolutionary origins of TCAP. TCAP has been present in animals for more than 300 million years, with astonishingly little change in its sequence. This strongly indicates that it carries out some essential functions, since there must be intense selective pressure during evolution to maintain its protein sequence with so little change. Its role in the maintenance of effective cell-to-cell communications, and in particular in stabilizing interactions between nerve cells could be one such essential function. Jackson et al. observe the structural relatedness of TCAP to some bacterial proteins, suggesting that deep in the evolutionary past of multi-cellular animals, TCAP may have originated from a bacterial hitchhiker, analogous to the evolutionary origin of mitochondria from the incorporation into eukaryotic cells of free-living archaebacteria.

Protagenic Therapeutics is developing PT00114 as a therapeutic for anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and addiction. Many of these disorders have been shown to be associated with impaired glucose metabolism in the brain. The third recent TCAP publication, by Hogg et al. (Journal of Neuroendocrinology, 2018) demonstrates pharmacologically administered synthetic TCAP increases glucose uptake in brain neurons. Since glucose is the principal energy fuel for brain function, this suggests that administered TCAP has potential to restore disordered nerve function in settings such as depression where it has been found to be deficient.

Previous studies indicate that TCAP and the teneurins, arose very early in animal evolution of animals and play critical roles in intercellular communication. These three recent publications highlight TCAP as a venerable peptide which plays a central role in maintaining healthy function in the brain, counteracting the negative effects of environmental stress, restoring neuronal activity and connectivity. Protagenics development candidate PT00114, uniquely amongst new drugs, activates this natural system for combatting environmental stress. This series of publications provides insights regarding its ancient origins and its position as one of the earliest neuropeptides, consistent with its perceived function to reduce the impact of environmental stress and the resulting negative behavioral consequences.

The full citations of the three articles are:

Li, J., Shalev-Benami, M., Sando, R., Jiang, X., Kibrom, A., Wang, J. et al. (2018). Structural basis for teneurin function in circuit-wiring: A toxin motif at the synapse. Cell April 19, 2018, 173(3): 735-748.

Jackson, V.A., Meijer, D.H., Carrasquero, M., van Bezouwen, L.S., Lowe, E.D., Kleanthous, C. et al. (2018). Structure of teneurin adhesion receptors reveal an ancient fold for cell-cell interaction. Nature Communications Mar 14th, 2018, 9(1): 1079.

Hogg, D.W., Chen, Y., D'Aquila, A.L., Xu, M., Husic, M., Tan, L.A. et al. (2018). A novel role of the corticotrophin-releasign hormone regulating peptide, teneurin C-terminal associated peptide 1, on glucose uptake in the brain. J. Neuroendocrinol April 2018, 30(4)

About Protagenic Therapeutics, Inc.

Protagenic Therapeutics, Inc. (OTCQB: PTIX) is a pre-clinical biopharmaceutical company endeavoring to develop first-in-class neuro-active peptides into human therapeutics to treat anxiety, treatment-resistant depression, addiction, and other disorders. For more information, visit http://www.protagenic.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements that are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the federal securities laws, including statements regarding Protagenic Therapeutics product candidates and pre-clinical development and clinical trial plans and activities. Forward-looking statements include words such as "expects," "anticipates," "intends," "plans," "could," "believes," "estimates" and similar expressions. These forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially. These risks and uncertainties include, among others, our ability to obtain additional capital to meet our liquidity needs on acceptable terms, or at all, including the additional capital which will be necessary to complete the pre-clinical testing and eventual clinical trials of our product candidates; our ability to successfully complete research and further development and commercialization of our product candidates; the uncertainties inherent in pre-clinical and clinical testing; the timing, cost and uncertainty of obtaining regulatory approvals; our ability to protect the Company's intellectual property; the loss of any executive officers or key personnel or consultants; competition; changes in the regulatory landscape or the imposition of regulations that affect the Company's products; and the other factors described under the Risk Factors section of our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.. Protagenic Therapeutics cautions investors not to place considerable reliance on the forward-looking statements contained in this release. These statements speak only as of the date of this press release, and Protagenic undertakes no obligation to update or revise the statements, other than to the extent required by law. All forward-looking statements are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement.

Press Contact:

Protagenic Therapeutics, Inc.

Alexander K. Arrow, MD, CFA

213-260-4342

alex.arrow@protagenic.com





Operations are Anticipated to Continually Increase, Which Includes Volume and Pricing, While it Prepares to Launch Its More Profitable Aggregate Operations

TORONTO, ON, June 11, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Easton Pharmaceuticals Inc. (OTC: EAPH ) Announces that Easton and its JV partner 1124123 Ontario Limited (O/A - Alliance Group) generated $40,000 in in revenues in the first week of operations on its Georgina property.

After the delivery of heavy machinery to the Georgina property, the company can disclose that operations have generated over $40,000 CDN in revenues in its first week of operations. The revenues received in its first week were from limited operations. Volume and pricing will both begin to increase in the coming weeks which will increase its healthy profit margins. New contracts with new customers who are classified as some of the biggest operators in Southern Ontario are being negotiated and are anticipated to soon close. Concurrent with these operations, Easton and Alliance are preparing to soon start operations on its much more lucrative and profitable aggregate business on its Georgina property as well as its medical marijuana operations which Alliance is working towards commencing. Additional updates will be disclosed as they progress including other segments of its business such as its recently executed agreement with BAYER and other initiatives.

In other news, Easton can disclose that it had high-level discussions last week with a Marijuana license holder from Jamaica, who is also a late stage LP applicant in Canada with regards to distribution and possible partnership. The companies will meet again in two weeks to further discuss their proposed partnership.

About Easton Pharmaceuticals

Easton Pharmaceuticals is a diversified specialty pharmaceutical company involved in various pharmaceutical sectors and other growing industries. The Company previously developed and owned an FDA-approved wound-healing medical drug and currently owns topically delivered drugs to treat cancer and other therapeutic products to treat various conditions that are all in various stages of development and approval. Easton has partnered with BMV Medica S.A. and together own the exclusive distribution rights in Mexico and Latin America for two patented women's diagnostic products and a novel natural treatment for Bacterial Vaginosis. In addition, a generic cancer drugs line is being developed for sale in Mexico. The company's gel formulation is thought to be an innovative and unique transdermal delivery system that can in the future be adaptable in the delivery of other drugs and Cannabidiol extracts. Eastons agreement with Ontario based Alliance Group includes a 50% interest in its non-Cannabis related business and 70% interest in the Cannabis business. Once revenues from the Cannabis operations commence, Eastons interest in non-Cannabis will decrease to 20%. The company will cultivate and distribute medical / recreational marijuana.

For More Information On Easton and Affiliated and Partner Company's Visit:

http://www.eastonpharmaceuticalsinc.com

http://finance.yahoo.com/q?s=eaph

https://twitter.com/eastonpharma

Safe Harbor

This news release may contain forward-looking statements or expressions within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (The "Act"). In particular, when certain words or phrases such as "hope", "positive", "anticipate," "pleased," "plan," "confident that," "believe," "expect," "possible" or "intent to" and similar conditional expressions are expressed, they are intended to identify forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Act and are subject to the safe harbor created by the Act. Such statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties and actual results could differ materially from those expressed in any of the forward-looking statements. Any investment made into Easton Pharmaceuticals may contain risks. Such risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, market conditions, general acceptance of the company's products and technologies, competitive factors, the ability to successfully complete additional or adequate financing, government approvals or changes to proposed laws and other risks and uncertainties further stated in the company's financial reports and filings.



BEAVERTON, Ore., June 11, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --

News highlights:

Major research institutes of China are welcomed to HomeGrid Forum as Promoter Members, one year after China Telecom Shanghai Research Institute joined back in July 2017

China Unicom Research Institute is currently working on a test specification for home networking devices

CAICT is looking to build a compliance and interoperability lab in Beijing for China Unicom deployments

HomeGrid Forum today announced that China Unicom Research Institute and China Academy of Information and Communications Technology (CAICT) have joined the forum, as it continues to promote G.hn certification and expand its presence in Asia.

Both China Unicom Research Institute and CAICT will bring new expertise and market opportunities to the HomeGrid Forum, adding to the impact G.hn has already made in Asia where the smart home market is expected to be worth $115 billion by 2030, according to global management consulting firm AT Kearney. China Unicom Research Institute and CAICT will strengthen the G.hn position in China, just one year after China Telecom Shanghai Research Institute joined back in July 2017.

CAICT plans to build a G.hn qualified testing lab in Beijing for China Unicom deployments, while China Unicom Research Institute is currently working on a test specification for home networking devices.

CAICT and China Unicom Research Institute joining the HomeGrid Forum is a significant step for us and we look forward to both organizations contributions to the growing success of G.hn, said Dr. Len Dauphinee, HomeGrid Forum President. We welcome the expertise that CAICT and China Unicom Research Institute will bring as the demand for home networking devices in Asia continues to rise.

As one of Chinas largest mobile carrier service providers, China Unicom is committed to establishing a comprehensive system to enable innovation and world-leading achievements. The China Unicom Research Institute has developed the core research, product development and testing facility for China Unicom and is currently developing home networking technologies.

China Unicom is committed to connecting the world by innovating and improving the quality of products and services to constantly fulfill customer needs, said Mr. Li Jie, Home Networking R&D Center at China Unicom Research Institute. We look forward to working closely with the HomeGrid Forum and sharing our developments and research achievements.

Based in Beijing, CAICT is a scientific research institute directly under the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology of China. It positions itself as an innovation and development platform for the industry and has played an important role in the research of strategies and policies related to technological innovation and industrial development.

CAICT is delighted to be working with the HomeGrid Forum as we continue to support the progress and innovation of Chinas information and communications industry, said Mr. Cheng Qiang, Principle Engineer at CAICT. We believe that joining the Forum will enable us to further align our ambitions with the industry and support the promotion of G.hn testing in Asia.

HomeGrid Forum members representatives will provide an update on membership, certification and deployment news during the CES ASIA 2018 event taking place 13-15 June 2018 at Shanghai New International Expo Centre (SNIEC), at HomeGrid Forums Booth #1608, Hall N1.

For more information on HomeGrid Forum, please visit the website: http://www.homegridforum.org/

For more information please contact Victoria Watkins on +44 (0) 1636 704 888 or by email at pr@homegridforum.org.

About HomeGrid Forum

HomeGrid Forum (HGF) is an industry alliance that brings together the worlds best in technology innovators, silicon vendors, system manufacturers, and service providers to promote G.hn, a globally recognized gigabit home networking technology based on ITU-T standards. G.hn is the most reliable and versatile wireless home network backbone available today. Our members promote the global adoption of G.hn, a single unified, multi-sourced networking technology  over coax, copper pairs, powerline, and plastic optical fiber. HomeGrid Forum provides G.hn silicon and system certification through a strict compliance and interoperability testing program. For more information on HomeGrid Forum, please visit our website at www.homegridforum.org.

Follow us on @homegrid_forum

About China United Network Communications Corporation

For more information on China Unicom please visit www.chinaunicom.com

About China Academy of Information and Communications Technology

Founded in 1957, the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology (CAICT) is a scientific research institute directly under the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) of China and provides strong support for the industrys major strategies, plans, policies, standards, testing and certification. For more information on CAICT, please visit http://www.caict.ac.cn/Washington, DC, June 11, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Arc of the United States released the Family & Individual Needs for Disability Supports (FINDS) Community Report 2017 today. The intent of this one-of-a-kind survey conducted by The University of Minnesotas Institute on Community Integration in collaboration with The Arc is to understand the experiences of families who provide supports to a family member with intellectual or other developmental disabilities (I/DD). This is the second FINDS Report that The Arc has released; the first was conducted in 2010, and released in 2011.

An estimated 7.3 million people with I/DD live in the United States, with the majority living in their family home receiving support from a family member. The report includes survey responses from over 3,000 caregivers and provides information on the economic implications, logistical challenges, and major gaps that exist in caregiving infrastructure.

The FINDS Survey revealed that, despite the progress that many states have made to increase availability of resources and public funding to provide supports for caregivers and individuals with disabilities, many critical challenges remain. The study revealed that:

80% of individuals with I/DD live with a caregiver who is their family member. Alternatively, access to affordable and accessible housing outside a family home, in a setting with adequate supports, remains a challenge for people with I/DD.

Most caregivers (54%) reported that they did not have a plan for the future. Caregivers share a long list of concerns about what will happen to their loved one with disabilities when they are no longer able to support them. Planning ahead can help guide a person with I/DD to lead a good life as independently as possible. A plan is important throughout all stages of life and especially in the future after the parent or caregiver is no longer able to provide support.

50% of individuals with I/DD leave high school without a high school diploma. This is concerning because having a high school diploma is crucial in being considered in a competitive job market.

Only a minority of individuals with I/DD are fortunate enough to be employed, and on average they work only 26 hours per two-week period. There is lack in diversity of the type of work being done; sixty percent (60%) of those employed work in retail, janitorial, landscaping, or food service jobs.

More than 3 out of 4 survey respondents described that since becoming a caregiver they are more aware of policy issues and more involved in advocacy, including calling their legislators. Ninety-five percent (95%) say that they vote, much higher than is typical for the voting age population as a whole.

The FINDS Survey results highlight the challenges faced by caregivers in our nation. With respondents reporting an average of 57 hours of support provided to their loved one each week, 95% of caregivers reported being stressed and nearly 50% reporting being very or extremely stressed. This affects the ability of caregivers to meet their own personal needs, balance family responsibilities, and fulfill professional obligations. Almost all survey respondents who were employed reported that caregiving had a negative impact on their work, whether it was cutting back their hours, turning down promotions, taking a leave of absence, or giving up work entirely to meet the needs of their loved one.

Caregivers also reported that they would like their employers to do more to help them be successful in balancing their work and family responsibilities, such as provide medical and dental insurance, flexible spending accounts, flexible scheduling, and supportive and understanding supervisors and co-workers.

In every aspect of life  from education, to employment, to planning for a stable future  we as a society are failing in our support of caregivers of people with disabilities and falling short of our obligation to improve the quality of life of people with disabilities. This report paints a picture of the day-to-day needs of caregivers, and should ignite action to address the gaps that stop us from achieving full inclusion of people with disabilities in the community throughout their lifetime.



People with disabilities have an undeniable and moral right to be fully included in all aspects of society. As the largest civil rights organization for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities nationwide, we will continue our advocacy to ensure that supports are in place to promote the human and civil rights of people with disabilities.

Too often, we in the disability community preach to the choir. This report should raise awareness and help engage new activists to our cause from all walks of life. People with disabilities in our nation have faced decades of discrimination and overcome much adversity, but we still have a long way to go before we have a truly inclusive society. The FINDS Report highlights areas we need to focus on and should serve as a rallying cry to advocates nationwide who recognize people with disabilities and their families deserve better, says Peter V. Berns, CEO of The Arc.

About the FINDS Survey

The FINDS survey was implemented primarily using an on-line survey between January and March of 2017. The survey was also made available in English and Spanish paper versions. Caregivers who were family members or friends of people with I/DD and who provided support were invited to participate in this survey. Direct support professionals or other caregivers whose primary relationship with individuals with I/DD was in a paid role were not included in the sample.



More than 3,000 people (3,398) met the criteria to be included in the survey and consented to participate. Caregivers were surveyed including respondents from all 50 states, DC, Puerto Rico, and Guam. The number of people responding was large and provides important information about the experiences and outcomes of family caregivers of individuals with I/DD in the United States. However, the sample is not reflective of the racial and economic diversity of the United States.

The Arc advocates for and serves people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD), including Down syndrome, autism, Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders, cerebral palsy and other diagnoses. The Arc has a network of over 650 chapters across the country promoting and protecting the human rights of people with I/DD and actively supporting their full inclusion and participation in the community throughout their lifetimes and without regard to diagnosis.

Editors Note: The Arc is not an acronym; always refer to us as The Arc, not The ARC and never ARC. The Arc should be considered as a title or a phrase.SANTA FE, N.M., June 11, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- District Judge David. K Thomson reversed the New Mexico Department of Health (NMDOH) sanction against medical cannabis provider Ultra Health for bringing a single seedling to the New Mexico State Fair in September 2016.



The order, released May 29, 2018, reversed the NMDOH sanction which attempted to force Ultra Health to close for five consecutive days, which also included April 20, the single busiest cannabis sales day of the year.

The Court finds that in implementing a five day closure the Department acts arbitrarily, capriciously and not in accordance with the law (1-075R) as to both its sanction as petitioner and its obligation to the patients, the ruling states.

The court finds that the Petitioner prevails on the merits of their argument that the sanction imposed is excessive, arbitrary, and without much support in law or regulation, Judge Thomson continued.

In lieu of the sanction, Judge Thomson has ordered the sanction to be reduced to a 2-day closure, which may be over eight weeks with one-half day closure or a full day closure at Ultra Healths discretion, upon notice to NMDOH for verification.

Upon notifying NMDOH of the days Ultra Health intended to close, the department has indicated in writing they will appeal Judge Thomsons decision.

Per the Judges order, Ultra Health plans to close its ten locations statewide Sunday, June 17, 2018, and use the opportunity to conduct a statewide Community Service Day. Ultra Health employees will perform community services in multiple cities, including a Route 66 and Interstate 40 West trash pick up in Albuquerque and other clean up activities in rural markets.

Ultra Health plans to close another day in July and use the day for similar community service activities.

While NMDOH has informed Ultra Health of its intent to appeal the ruling, Ultra Health believes the decision will stand review. Judge Thomson has had three cases in the last 24 months on appeal, of which all three cases were affirmed and appeals denied.

Contact: Marissa Novel 480-404-6699

marissa@ultrahealth.com

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/35327ca6-b81c-4bfd-abe8-f25effa7ed5e

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/4ea593a8-85a1-4844-b03f-cf8e56c63c9dMillwood, VA, June 11, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Project HOPE announced the deployment of an emergency medical response team to Guatemala as fresh lava flows from the Fuego volcano, prolonging a disaster that has displaced thousands of people.

Fuegos catastrophic eruption started on June 3rd, spreading lava and hot clouds of volcanic ash and toxic gases, killing 110 people and leaving 200 missing. Its estimated that 1.7 million people have been affected by Fuego and thousands have crammed into shelters.

We anticipate that health needs will rise quickly in Guatemala. Communities situated near the volcano are especially at risk and local health workers are under enormous strain to address the challenges caused by this disaster, said Chris Skopec, Project HOPE Executive Vice President, responsible for Global Health and Disaster Response Programs.

Project HOPEs team, including physicians, nurse practitioners, and logistics experts will assess critical health needs and provide care to people affected by the disaster. The first deployment will arrive on Tuesday, June 12th, and additional rotations of medical volunteers are expected to deploy in the weeks ahead.

Authorities in Guatemala have warned that Fuego, the most violent eruption in four decades, is still active and poses substantial health risks. Project HOPE will provide medicines and supplies to Guatemala based on the needs outlined by the government.

Our team will collaborate with the Guatemalan government and local partners to ensure we deliver assistance where it is needed most. The Guatemalan government has requested international assistance including water filters, medicines, medical supplies, mobile hospitals, and medical support, said Skopec.

Project HOPE has responded to every major disaster since the 2004 Indonesian tsunami with medical volunteer support, donations of medicines and supplies, and long-term efforts to rebuild damaged health systems. Most recently, HOPE provided care for people impacted by Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria in 2017 and HOPE is still in Puerto Rico supporting health needs. In Guatemala, HOPE provided humanitarian aid following Hurricane Stan in 2005 and has implemented maternal and child health programs in the country since then.

About Project HOPE

Founded in 1958, Project HOPE is a leader in global health development and emergency relief programs. An international nonprofit organization, we save lives and improve health, especially among women and children. We accomplish our mission by improving the knowledge, abilities and tools of the health workforce to deliver high quality health services to communities in need. With programs in more than 25 countries, we work at the epicenter of todays greatest health challenges including infectious and chronic diseases, disasters and health crises, maternal, neonatal and child health and the policies that impact how health care is delivered. Learn more at www.projecthope.org and follow us on Twitter @projecthopeorg.

Americas Founders vs. Trump



J. Bradford DeLong







BERKELEY  From the very beginning of the American experiment, Alexander Hamilton, one of the new countrys founders, had serious doubts about democracy. It is impossible to read the history of the petty republics of Greece and Italy without feeling sensations of horror and disgust at the  state of perpetual vibration between the extremes of tyranny and anarchy, he wrote in The Federalist Papers No. 9.



But Hamilton went on to praise such principles as, The regular distribution of power into distinct departments; the introduction of legislative balances and checks; the institution of courts composed of judges holding their offices during good behavior; the representation of the people in the legislature. These, he wrote, are means, and powerful means, by which the excellences of republican government may be retained and its imperfections lessened or avoided.



And yet those improvements in the science of politics that Hamilton identified could apply just as well to monarchies as to republics, and in fact emerged from monarchies. The Plantagenet kings who ruled England between the twelfth and fifteenth centuries professionalized the judiciary, and established the precedent of securing parliamentary consent before levying taxes. Likewise, the professional bureaucracy and distribution of power that one would expect to find in a republic were also enshrined in the Council of the Indies and the Council of Castile under the sixteenth-century Spanish monarch Philip II.



If Hamiltons favored political institutions had just as much potential to improve monarchy as to improve republicanism, then why did he have so much confidence in the latter form of governance? He never addressed that question, but another founder, James Madison, devoted considerable attention to it.



Judging by his contributions to The Federalist Papers, Madisons position revolved around two core ideas: representation, which he welcomed; and faction, which he warned against. With respect to representation, Madison surmised that, The public voice, pronounced by the representatives of the people, will be more consonant to the public good than if pronounced by the people themselves.



Madison expected elected representatives to look outward, assessing the peoples interests and drawing on their knowledge and ideas. But he also hoped that elected officials would look inward, to the government and to one another, to ensure that policies were well crafted. Through prudent representation, a republican form of government can enjoy the advantages of professionalization and expertise, as well as new ideas from society, as it pursues the public interest.

At the same time, Madison stressed the importance of avoiding factionalism, which he defined as, some common impulse of passion, or of interest, adverse to the rights of other citizens, or to the permanent and aggregate interests of the community. A monarchy or aristocracy, of course, is nothing but a faction  one that is firmly in control and under little pressure to work for the public interest or consider new ideas. But in a republic, Madison observed, a faction could rule only if it commanded an electoral majority. That is why, when you take in a greater variety of parties and interests, he wrote, you make it less probable that a majority of the whole will have a common motive to invade the rights of other citizens.



The problem, of course, is that majorities with a malign common motive emerge nonetheless. That is how the US got the near-century-long period of Jim Crow racial persecution following the Civil War, the herding of Japanese-Americans into concentration camps during World War II, and other shameful episodes.



Or consider what today we would call the ethnic cleansing of Cherokee land in the early nineteenth century  an act of state-sanctioned forced migration known as the Trail of Tears. When the US Supreme Court ruled in 1832 that the Cherokee were in fact a sovereign nation, then-President Andrew Jackson simply ignored it. The decision of the Supreme Court has fell still born, he told Brigadier General John Coffee, and cannot coerce Georgia to yield to its mandate.



Jackson thus rejected a decision handed down by what Hamilton would call judges holding their offices during good behavior. In doing so, he confirmed Madisons fear that if bureaucracy, established procedure, and deliberation cannot transcend the passions of a majority faction, then there can be no republican remedy for the diseases most incident to republican government.



Meanwhile, it has been more than a century since the constitutional and semi-constitutional monarchies of Europe faced their own political crises. In the event, they did not move toward centralized socialist dictatorships or strongman plebiscitary ethnocracies, but rather toward representative parliamentary democracy.



The American experiment has not yet reached a point of existential crisis. But there can be little doubt that the US in the Trump era is experiencing the problems that Madison foresaw when he warned that enlightened statesmen capable of making clashing interests  subservient to the public good  will not always be at the helm.



The two primary advantages of republican democracy that Madison identified  prudent, informed representation and the transcendence of factionalism  seem to have gone missing. For republican democracy to remain the best form of government, they will need to be rediscovered.





J. Bradford DeLong is Professor of Economics at the University of California at Berkeley and a research associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research. He was Deputy Assistant US Treasury Secretary during the Clinton Administration, where he was heavily involved in budget and trade negotiations. His role in designing the bailout of Mexico during the 1994 peso crisis placed him at the forefront of Latin Americas transformation into a region of open economies, and cemented his stature as a leading voice in economic-policy debates.

Lack of European reform, not Italy, will break the eurozone



Stop treating the euro as an article of faith and fight for its sustainability



Wolfgang Munchau





Giuseppe Conte, Italy's prime minister, should stake a strong position at this months European Council in the debate on eurozone governance  Reuters



It is unfortunate that so many Europeans treat European integration as an act of faith. The Brexit debate pits Europhile true believers against sceptical atheists, which is why we are talking about the two equally absurd propositions: a second referendum and a hard Brexit.



Italians treat the question of their euro membership in a similar way. You either belong to this camp, or that. If you are, like me, somewhere in the middle, people feel confused. I believe it is reasonable for a struggling country such as Italy to remain in the eurozone for as long as there is the faintest hope that the relationship is sustainable.



It was the unconditional pro-Europeanism of Italys past leaders that gave rise to the current nationalist backlash. Previous governments accepted European legislation that was profoundly against Italian interests.



There was the rule to count Italys contributions to the European Stability Mechanism, the blocs rescue umbrella, as relevant in the calculation of the maximum-allowed deficit. Then the acceptance of a bank resolution law that would leave thousands of Italian savers unprotected. And worst of all, the agreement in 2012 to accept the fiscal compact, which effectively requires Italy to run balanced budgets. If former prime ministers had been more ruthless, the anti-European backlash would be milder.



I find it equally silly for the Five Star Movement and the League to have raised the issue of an all-out confrontation with the EU in the way they did. The idea of asking the European Central Bank to write off Italian debt purchased as part of the quantitative easing programme was mad. The notion appeared in a first draft of the coalition agreement and was later dropped. It is absurd on many levels. For starters, most of the Italian debt is held by the Bank of Italy, not the ECB. If they want to take on the eurozone, they have to smarten up.



My first piece of advice to them is to drop the unilateralism and take a transactional view  setting out conditions that would allow Italy to remain and prosper in the eurozone.



As a first priority, Giuseppe Conte, Italys prime minister, should stake a strong position at this months European Council in the debate on eurozone governance. Angela Merkel has rejected virtually every substantive part of the reforms proposed by Emmanuel Macron. Mr Conte should consider supporting the French president to impress on the German chancellor the exorbitant costs of a German no. Pedro Sanchez, the Socialist party leader who was sworn in on Saturday as Spains prime minister, might help strengthen such an alliance.



Mr Conte should make the point that an unreformed eurozone has little chance of survival. Until now, the best argument for Italy to remain in the euro is to hope that the eurozone will eventually be reformed. If we know for certain that is not going to happen, the argument shifts. It is not Italian politics that kills the euro, but a lack of reforms in the eurozone and Germanys massive current account surplus.



The best way to confront the eurozone policy is from within. Italy could use its weight in the upcoming appointments of the EUs most important jobs: the presidents of the European Commission, the European Council and the ECB. There are deals and trade-offs to be made. Do not talk about a unilateral exit until all else has failed.



Secondly, the Keynesian fiscal boost outlined by Italys coalition government is well intended but too large. They should tone it down and accompany a mildly expansionary fiscal policy with some targeted structural reforms, to the banking sector, the judicial system and public administration.



Thirdly, there is nothing wrong with a genuine plan B, a list of measures to roll out if a crisis makes continued eurozone membership unsustainable. I would be surprised if the previous government did not have such a plan deep in a drawer. But plan A should be resisted: creating a situation that would inexorably lead to eurozone exit. It was suspicions of such a plan that persuaded Sergio Mattarella, the Italian president, to veto Paolo Savona as finance minister.



And finally, do not even think about asking the electorate to cast a vote on Italys euro membership. This would be self-defeating for any politician who dares ask the questions. Eurozone exit is an accident to be prepared for, not an outcome to seek. I doubt an Italian government would survive it.



As for the rest of us, we should stop treating this new government as some unexpected shock. The populist government is the logical consequence of 20 years of economic mismanagement by Italys centre-left and centre-right parties. That is what caused the mess.



If you are really pro-euro, my advice is to stop treating the euro as an article of faith but fight for its sustainability. That fight cannot be won in Italy alone. It requires big policy shifts in Brussels too.Before he became a bestselling author and television star, Anthony Bourdain worked as executive chef at the brasserie Les Halles on Park Avenue South. While there, he wrote his breakout essay Dont Eat Before Reading This, which was picked up by The New Yorker and led to his hit book Kitchen Confidential. Since news broke of his suicide last week, his fans have wallpapered the brasserie's two locations, which closed in 2016 and 2017, with handwritten notes, flowers, and even food.

"Thank you for bringing a respectful view to the people of Palestine, Libya, Iran, & more," reads one. Another reads, "You are an advocate, an activist, and an ally."

Stopped by Les Halles in NY, where people are paying their respects to Anthony Bourdain. pic.twitter.com/KC7FuClHgE  DJ Judd (@juddzeez) June 8, 2018

Other left behind bottles of whiskey and packs of cigarettes. Ryan Anderson, a sommelier at The Pool, paid tribute with a baguette, a bottle of wine, and an open can of paper-bagged beer, reports Insider.

The Les Halles Yelp page also had messages of mourning for Bourdain. To the great Anthony Bourdain, thank you for being a voice for the immigrants who are the backbone of the restaurant world. This world feels more empty without you, wrote Tiara C. from San Diego.

In Kitchen Confidential, Bourdain made sure to highlight the immigrants who toiled in the restaurant industry to give diners their culinary experiences, and, in his later books and television shows, he committed to giving many different cultures a platform through the lens of food, encouraging viewers and fans to be curious and brave. He was also relentless about acknowledging the United States' responsibility in international affairs:

Frequently, Ive come to regret things Ive said. This, from 2001, is not one of those times: pic.twitter.com/1NiHlupJkL  Anthony Bourdain (@Bourdain) February 5, 2018

Instagram is also awash with memories of Bourdain, with high profile celebrities and chefs who wrote about how he helped them creatively and professionally. Questlove posted on Instagram "It was through Anthony that I learned about who the sushi master Jiro Ono was and that recommendation (seeing the Jiro doc & making a pilgrimage to Tokyo by any means necessary) singlehandedly changed the course of my professional and creative life."

Dominique Ansel wrote "Tony once asked me in an interview how I would feel about Creator of the Cronut being on my tombstone. Years later, I admitted to him that question haunted me and led me to push myself to create more."

And Jason Wang, the CEO of Xi'an Famous Foods, wrote a tribute about how Bourdain's endorsement helped grow the restaurant from a basement food stall in Flushing into a chain with a dozen locations. On Friday, the restaurant donated all their net sales to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.

If someone you know exhibits warning signs of suicide: do not leave the person alone; remove any firearms, alcohol, drugs or sharp objects that could be used in a suicide attempt; and call the U.S. National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-TALK (8255) or take the person to an emergency room or seek help from a medical or mental health professional.Audible brings Oscar and Tony nominee Carey Mulligan to the stage in Dennis Kelly's one-woman show Girls & Boys on Tuesday. The show premiered at the Royal Court Theatre in London earlier this year and will make its off-Broadway debut at the Minetta Lane Theater in the Village. Mulligan's critically acclaimed performance portrays a woman whose fate gradually takes a turn for the worst. (And since the show is produced by Audible, listeners have the opportunity to purchase discount tickets... but act fast, the show will only be running for five weeks).

Tuesday, June 12 through July 15 // Minetta Lane Theater, 18 Minetta Lane // Tickets $57-$127

Explore some of New York's finest cultural institutions for free at the 40th annual Museum Mile Festival. Aside from a free pass to museums like the Guggenheim, El Museo del Barrio, and The Met, you can experience the epic block party on the Mile. The stretch of Fifth Avenue from 82nd to 110th Street will be filled with people playing music, food vendors, and art available for purchase by local artists.

Tuesday, June 12, 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. // 5th Avenue between 82nd and 105th Street // Free



Mermaid Parade. (Scott Lynch / Gothamist)

The 36th annual Coney Island Mermaid Parade sails through Brooklyn on Saturday. Whether you decide to slip into a costume to join the other sequined sea creatures or just stand around and gawk, it's a great time. The parade begins at Surf Avenue and West 21st Street and will travel along Boardwalk before ending at Steeplechase Plaza. If youre planning on participating in the nautical nonsense, you can register here; you'll be joining this year's King & Queen: Neil Gaiman and Amanda Palmer!

Saturday, June 16, 1 p.m. // Surf Avenue and West 21st Street // Tickets $30 in advance, $35 day of

Why sit at home alone swiping away when you can do it with comedienne Lane Moore and a room full of people? To those unfamiliar, Moores monthly show involves hooking her Tinder account up to a projector and chatting with men in real timetransforming the otherwise bleak and sometimes even downright horrific modern-day dating experience into a hilarious long-form improv show.

Saturday, June 16, 7 p.m. // Gramercy Theatre, 127 East 23rd Street // Tickets $20

Learn how to make dumplings and braid challah at The Museum of Eldridge Streets annual Egg Rolls, Egg Creams and Empanada Festival. The Chinese-Jewish-Puerto Rican festival celebrates the diverse communities that make up the Lower East Side. At the outdoor festival, you can also try your hand at Mahjong, listen to the sounds of Puerto Rican bomba music, and even make a yarmulke.

Sunday, June 17, noon to 4 p.m. // The Museum on Eldridge Street,12 Eldridge Street // Free

Every week we pick five things to check out around the city  have a suggestion? Email us.A federal judge in Manhattan granted a last-minute stay of deportation to Pablo Villavicencio over the weekend, allowing the husband and father of two to continue living in the United States as he prepares his case ahead of a July 20th court hearing. He will remain detained in a New Jersey ICE facility until then, where he's been held since he was first arrested while delivering pizza to the Fort Hamilton base in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn earlier this month.

The temporary stay was granted by Judge Alison J. Nathan of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, following a frantic few days of legal maneuvering and community outcry. In response to the Legal Aid Society's emergency petition, Judge Nathanan Obama-appointeeruled on Saturday that federal officials must provide court documents explaining why a temporary injunction should not be issued for Villavicencio. He had been fast-tracked for deportation back to Ecuador, which could have occured as early as Monday, according to his attorneys.

"Although we are disappointed that Pablo will remain detained, today's stay is a victory for him and his family, and also for due process and the fair administration of justice," said lawyer Gregory Copeland, of the Legal Aid Society's Immigration Law Unit. "The Court agreed with our argument that Pablo should be afforded a full and fair opportunity to present his case in Federal Court. This decision is also a reminder that the judiciary can still serve as a powerful check when other branches of government make hasty, cruel and reckless decisions."

His lawyers have argued that Villavicencio should be released on humanitarian grounds, since he is the primary provider for his wife and two young daughters, one of whom has a congenital heart defect. Villavicencio's application for a Green Card has been pending since February. His wife, Sandra Chica, is a U.S. citizen.

"Please do the right thing with my husband for my family," Chica pleaded, in a video statement released last week. "He's trying to stay here in the legal way. Please don't take him away from us."

Villavicencio was stopped at the base on June 1st, after he was reportedly confronted by a soldier asking for proof of citizenship. A Fort Hamilton spokesperson says that he was stopped by Military Police and agreed to sign a waiver permitting a background check, which triggered ICE's involvement. Villavicencio, meanwhile, maintains that he was not aware of any waiver, telling Telemundo last week, "At no time did I sign a document." The military base has still not produced the document they claim Villavicencio signed.

Guards at the Fort Hamilton base have a reputation for hassling deliverymen, according to workers at nearby restaurants who spoke with Brooklyn Daily. "They always give the delivery guys a problemit's the same kids who deliver every day, but they still give them a hard time," Brittany Ryan, a waitress at Campania pizzeria, told the newspaper. "Mostly they do it to the Arab kids, and most of them don't like to go to the base because of that." Some delivery places have said they will only hand off food at the gates from now on, while others plan to boycott the military base entirely.

A spokesperson for Fort Hamilton did not respond to a request for comment by press time.KOMO(BRINNON, Wash.) -- An explosion that decimated a cabin in Washington state also killed a family of five, including three children, authorities said Monday.



On Sunday, around 1 a.m., fire personnel and deputies with the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office responded to a report of a house fire in Brinnon, Washington.



"Neighbors reported hearing an explosion and stated the hillside was on fire and the house, a small cabin, was gone," the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office said in a statement.



Firefighters initially found two bodies at the scene, authorities said, then three others as they sifted through the cabin's ruins.



"The cause and origin of the fire remains unknown and may take several weeks to determine. At this point, investigators do not believe the fire happened as the result of a criminal act," the statement added. "Investigators believe the victims are a family of five, including three children and parents."



The identity of the victims and cause and manner of death are to be determined, pending an autopsy.



The sheriff's office said the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is also helping in the investigation.

Copyright  2018, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.



Two candidates were vying, in yesterdays election, for the post of mayor in Margara, a village of some 1,500 on the border with Turkey, in Armenias Armavir Province.

One was Republican Party of Armenia candidate Khachatur Asatryan (photo), the village mayor since 2006. The other was 30-year-old Edgar Yenokyan, a non-partisan candidate supported by the Prosperous Armenia Party.

644 of 1,028 eligible voters in Margara cast their ballots and a majority - 433 - voted for Yenokyan, thus ending the 22-year-term of the incumbent mayor.

In 2009, after the foreign ministers of Armenia and Turkey signed the Zurich protocols designed to normalize relations between the two neighboring countries, life in Margara, the closest border crossing to Turkey from Yerevan, got a shot in the arm - interstate roads were reconstructed, the rich started buying plots there for further business projects.

But the protocols languished, and Margara reverted to its former sleepy self. Its been all but neglected by government officials in Yerevan.

Margaras local roads and the communal cultural center are in poor shape and need capital renovation. Upgrading the drinking water network and street lights is also a priority issue.Residents of Talvorik, a community close to the border with Turkey in Armenias Armavir Province, went to the polls yesterday to fill five municipal council seats.

But given that there were only five candidates in the running, there wasnt much of a choice.

Perhaps it was this lack of competition that caused such a low voter turnout. Only 94 of the communitys 258 eligible voters cast ballots.

This voter turnout rate, 36.4%, was the lowest amongst all the eighteen communities in Armenia that held local elections yesterday.

Women retained three seats on the Talvorik council.

Voter turnout was higher in Bagaran, an Armavir village straddling the Turkish border.

343 of the villages 524 eligible voters chose from eight candidates to elect five council members.Armenias Ministry of Foreign Affairs has called yesterdays killing of an Armenian soldier on the Karabakh Line of Contact yet another provocation by Azerbaijan.

Heres the statement released by ministry spokesman Tigran Balayan (photo):

Last night, on the Line of Contact between Artsakh (Nagorno Karabakh) and Azerbaijan, a soldier of the Artsakh Defense Army was shot dead as result of a gross violation of ceasefire regime by the Azerbaijani side. We express our deep condolences to relatives and fellow servicemen.

We consider this action, committed on the eve of the OSCE Minsk group Co-Chairs visit to Armenia, as yet another provocation by Baku aimed at aggravating the situation and undermining the agreements on reducing the tension in the region. This incident once again highlights the importance of implementation of the trilateral agreements of 1994-1995 on establishment and reinforcement of the ceasefire regime, which have no time limitations, as well as of the agreements reached at the 2016-2017 summits on the settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict related to the mechanism of investigation of incidents on the Line of Contact and expanding the capacities of the Personal representative of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office.

We have repeatedly stated that creating an environment conducive to peace is of key importance for a progress in Nagorno-Karabakh peace process. Such actions of the Azerbaijani side, in fact, pursue an opposite goal.

The responsibility for all possible consequences of this provocation is fully borne by the Azerbaijani side.CHICAGO - Are politicians in Springfield accused of sex discrimination and harassment victims or offenders?

Last week, yet more Springfield political insiders were swept into the growing #MeToo accusations. Last week, House Speaker Mike Madigan's close staff confidante Tim Mapes was forced to resign as Madigan's chief of staff and as the Illinois Democrat Party's executive director when complaints against Mapes hit headlines.

And Democrat Leader State Rep. Lou Lang was forced to step down from his high-ranking appointments when a female lobbyist accused him of making sexually suggestive comments and saying mean things when she asked him for help on legislation.

Still other female Springfield insiders shared their tales of sexual discrimination and harassments during their public service days at the Capitol in a story collection by reporter Kerry Lester.

Are more shoes to drop?The GOPers tied their call for resignation to accusations of Speaker Madigan allowing a culture of corruption, abuse of power, bullying and sexual harassment as well as discrimination among his House members and staff.

CHICAGO - Monday afternoon, a group of Republican lawmakers and candidates led by State Rep. Jeanne Ives (R-Wheaton) called for Mike Madigan to step down from his role as Illinois Democrat Party chairman and House Speaker.

Among the GOP candidates on November's ballot calling for Madigan's resignation was Darren Bailey, GOP candidate in downstate 109th House district.

"What will it take for politicians to finally stand up to Mike Madigan? What we are witnessing is the abuse of power by one man. There is a culture of corruption in Illinois and ask long as Mike Madigan is in power, we will not see the end of abuse of power in Springfield," Bailey said.

"The first step is for Democrats to demand that Mike Madigan resign as Speaker of the House and as head of the Democrat Party in Illinois. If members of his own caucus refuse to do this, then this is a sure-tale sign that the Democrat Party is certainly not interested in reform in Illinois. I and my colleagues here today are very serious about the integrity of Illinois...

"Illinois is broken, and Illinois needs to be fixed," Bailey said.

Others that spoke out against Madigan's abuse of power were GOP candidates Tonia Khouri of DuPage County and Ammie Kessem of Chicago.

"You thought I was a strong person, look at these candidates committed to a culture of change, and I'm sure they're going to get it done," Ives, who is not on the General ballot after losing the GOP gubernatorial primary bid by 3 points, said before taking questions from reporters.

Neither House GOP Leader Jim Durkin nor any of his caucus leadership participated in the presser.

Those participating in the press conference were:The American Business Immigration Coalition, chaired by John Rowe, who also serves as co-Chair for Illinois Business Immigration Coalition, joined their group was joining a "bipartisan" challenge to promote naturalization of non-citizens visiting or working in America.

C4C is part of the "America is Home" Initiative rolled out last week to promote naturalization of immigrants living in the U.S. The organization is co-chaired by Democrat mayors of three sanctuary cities: Los Angels Mayor Garcetti, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, and New York City's Mayor de Blasio.

CHICAGO - Close enough to Illinois' Republican incumbent Governor Bruce Rauner to have served on Rauner's 2013 exploratory committee, retired Exelon CEO John Rowe is continuing his pro-immigration activism with a national group called "Cities for Citizenship (C4C)."

Rowe's group's website promotes an amnesty pathway for "DREAMers." They're "Keeping the American Dream Alive because it's economically important, politically smart and morally right." The ABIC writes to the 800,000 DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals)-recipients nationwide:

ABIC leaders value you. We believe you deserve a future in the United States because you are genuine assets to this country. You are its bright future. You are us  our employees, our students, our community, our future. You came out of the shadows in good faith, submitted to rigorous background checks, and demonstrated your commitment to bettering the future by earning college degrees, working hard, and investing in our shared economy by purchasing homes and cars.

Chicagoan Joshua Hoyt, who was also Executive Director and Chief Strategy Executive at Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights from May of 2002 to December 2013, also is on the American Business Immigration Coalition board. He is now executive director of National Partnership for New Americans. The NPNA's platform says:

The New American Dreams Platform seeks to defineby immigrantswhat it means to be a successful nation of immigrants. The Platform will broaden and deepen current political discourse about immigration so that candidates and policymakers must acknowledge that immigrants are not numbers but humans, not burdens but contributors, and not criminals but mothers and fathers and laborers and taxpayers and business owners. The New American Dreams Platform aims to be a framework to discuss immigration from this time onwards. In the long run, the Platform will build momentum that requires every candidate to be genuinely, robustly pro-immigrant. The New American Dreams Platform will be run like a campaign. We will build support at the local level and mobilize our constituencies through community actions, social media campaigns, story sharing and testimonials, and coordinated press strategies. The Platform was launched at the National Immigrant Integration Conference (NIIC), NPNAs flagship event, in December 2015.

Rowe, Hoyt and Mayor Emanuel are working together to pressure Congress into changing the nation's policy to embrace and help those in the country without appropriate documentation.

"When immigrants naturalize they make an affirmative decision to study English, US history and government, and swear allegiance to our Constitution," the announcement said. "Naturalized citizens have higher income, generate more taxes, connect with their neighbors more easily and assume their full rights and responsibilities in this country, to proudly say 'America is Home.'"

Rowe defended Governor Rauner signing Illinois' Trust Act into law against the Illinois Republican Party's platform that encourages immigrants obey federal law requirements and enter the country according to federal immigration policy regulations.Mays jobs report shows that strong employment numbers mean little to the families hit with soaring new costs under the Republicans watch."

Instead of celebrating the incredible economic activity, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi had this to say:

The month of May closed with amazing news on the economy . It looks unstoppable and signals the best recovery since World War II.

She added: Republicans cruel, cynical health care sabotage campaign is already spiking families premiums by double digits and pushing millions off their coverage, according to the nonpartisan CBO. Big Pharma continues to hoard the benefits of the GOP tax scam, using their handouts to further enrich executives and shareholders instead of lowering prescription drug costs for seniors and sick kids. At the same time, the Presidents reckless policies are exploding gas prices, wiping out the few meager gains that some families should have received from the GOP tax scam, as wages remain stagnant.

Pelosi further claimed: Democrats will never stop fighting for the hard-working middle-class families who are the backbone of our nation."

The Atlanta Fed forecasts a big boost in private sector fixed investment, which includes capital investment in machinery, land, buildings, vehicles, and technology. Earlier, the Atlanta Fed saw this growing at 4.6 percent. But following the release Friday of a construction spending report from the U.S. Census Bureau and the Manufacturing ISM Report On Business from the Institute for Supply Management, this was upgraded to 5.4 percent growth.

Unemployment is 3.8%, the third month at 4% or less. Employment participation is at a 20 year high. Black unemployment is 5.9%, down from 6.6%. There are currently more manufacturing jobs (aka high paying) than suitable candidates. In that the GDP was 3.6%, it is now projected to reach 4.7% in the next month or two. This is all the continuation of President Obamas policies, or is it?

It was on January 1, 2016, that a steel worker union official asked President Barack Obama at a June 1 town hall in Elkhart, Indiana, about job losses at a plant run by Carrier, an air conditioning manufacturer that recently announced plans to move jobs from Indiana to Mexico. He replied that some jobs "are just not going to come back," while others are in flux or rebounding.

Having made this gloom statement about job growth, by December 6th, 2017 former President Barack Obama was taking credit for the economic growth that was occurring at the time under President Trump, when he told an adoring crowd at a Chicago climate summit that despite resistance at every step of the way, his administrations efforts to fight climate change resulted in a better economy.

As we took these actions, we saw the U.S. economy grow consistently, Obama said. We saw the longest streak of job creation in American history by far  a streak that still continues, by the way.

He then added a zinger: Thanks Obama.

Obama made Trumps job easy in achieving most of the gains simply by reversing (or erasing) those destructive policies.

Re-authorization and completion of at least two major oil pipelines.

Reversing restrictions on off-shore oil extraction.

Easing restrictions on coal mining and use.

Cutting corporate tax rates in half, and encouraging re-patriotization of profits held abroad.

Re-negotiating foreign trade agreements toward balanced versions.

Similar improvements have been made by Trump on the international scene, including the following:

Obamas toxic relationship with Russia led to last minute (literally) imposition of sanctions, which Trump delayed as a way to have better leverage when relations with Russia reached various crises.

Renewed relationships with our main ally in the Middle-East, Israel, and improved relationships with Egypt and Jordan (snubbed by Obama).

Abandonment of the Obama/Kerry agreement-for-the-sake-of-agreement (never ratified) with Iran in favor of increased sanctions.

Tough stance on Chinas trade imbalance and theft of technology.

Staring down North Koreas reckless threats, bringing Kim Jung-Un to the negotiating table (at Kims request).

Re-gaining all the territory in Iraq claimed by ISIS and killing most of their leaders and 90% of their followers.

The May jobs report is great news for everyone  except Democrats running for office. https://www.cnbc.com/2018/06/01/may-jobs-numbers-are-bad-news-for-democrats.ht

Voters who are employed are historically more likely to favor incumbents than those who are out of work.

With the jobless rate now down to 3.8 percent, Democrats in 435 House districts and 35 Senate races face a major challenge as they try to unseat Republican majorities in both chambers.

The GDP could reach 4.8% in the second quarter of 2018. Unemployment is at 3.8%, the lowest since 1996, and North Korea is at the bargaining table next week. Trump's approval is at 49%, greater than that of any president since Ronald Reagan (and 5% better than Obama). Yet the Never Trumpers of both parties are working at a fever pitch against him.

Donald Trumps success in his Presidency is due to a combination of reversing negative policies and innovation using techniques foreign to career bureaucrats. All of this is in the face of unrelenting criticism of every move, word and misspelling, and a deep state bent on his destruction. Under President Trump the term Red Line has taken a more literal meaning, and our enemies take notice.

It is becoming clear that the intensity of attacks increases the more Trump accomplishes. It is becoming clear that his enemies fear success on his part over failure on behalf of the citizens of this country.Yes, Simon's Cat is between the covers again The new book is called Simon's Cat vs the World and you can win your own copy, acco...KATHMANDU,

The first ever East Tourism Mart 2018 concluded successfully on Sunday. The Mart organised by Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) in joint association with Dharan Sub- Metropolitan city and different stakeholders of tourism including private travel traders and hoteliers, was held at Ex-British Army building, Dharan on June 7.3 main accused sent to DMLI for further probe

The Morang District Court on Sunday decided to send three main accused in the 33kg gold smuggling and subsequent murder of an alleged carrier Sanam Shakya case to the Department of Money Laundering Investigation (DMLI) in Lalitpur for further investigation.KATHMANDU,

The Association of Craft Producers (ACP) on Sunday organised a day-long Dhukuti Open House for New Collection 2018 at Kupondole, Lalitpur to showcase trendy new handicraft collections.

Wide range of handicraft items like curtains, bed sheets and copper-made products themed in marigold were specially designed to attract customers.KATHMANDU : The government on Sunday decided to slash the number of additional inspector generals of the Nepal Police and the Armed Police Force.

Government Spokesman and Information Minister Gokul Baskota said the NP and the APF will now have three and two AIGs, respectively.Cabinet approves two proposals for PMs China visit

The government has endorsed two proposals related to the upcoming visit of Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli to China.A Cabinet meeting on Sunday approved the proposal of the Chinese government to repair two Friendship Bridges connecting Nepal with the northern neighbour.China ups travelling charges for Kailash Manasarovar

China has abruptly raised travelling charges for devotees going on the Kailash Manasarovar tour to the distress of Nepali and Indian tour operators. Hindus believe that bathing in Lake Manasarovar and drinking its water will cleanse them from all sin.Dahal puts agenda of prez system on the back burner

Nepal Communist Party (NCP) Co-chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal has said the agenda of presidential system should not be taken up for discussion now.During his China visit, PM Olis primary focus will be on implementing past pacts

Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli is embarking on a five-day state visit to China beginning on June 19. With his visits to New Delhi and now Beijing, the Oli government has underscored the importance it attaches to Nepals bilateral relations with India and China.Exports to China nearly doubled: NRB

Exports to China nearly doubled in the first 10 months of the current fiscal year, as the profile of Nepali products rose due to increased participation in Chinas trade fairs.KATHMANDU : Minister for Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Sher Bahadur Tamang has said unnecessary positions in the judiciary will be scrapped.



Addressing a function organised to mark the fifth anniversary of the Natural Resource Conflict Transfor-mation Centre-Nepal, Tamang said the government was reviewing judges posts for scrapping if found unnecessary.KATHMANDU: Foreign Minister Pradeep Gyawali met with Chen Zemin, president of the China Association for Friendship and committee member of the China Peoples Political Consultative Conference, at the Embassy of Nepal in Beijing on Sunday.Home Ministry probe committee raids Durbarmarg-based RK jewelers

A special investigation committee formed under the Ministry of Home Affairs to probe the organised gold smuggling has raided a bullion store in Durbarmarg, Kathmandu on Monday.Lack of expenditure details puts off House meeting

A meeting of House of Representatives, which was scheduled for Sunday, has been postponed after the government failed to provide expenditure details of various ministries to the House. The meeting under the Appropriation Bill 2075 was scheduled to discuss allocation of budget to various ministries.Mum, son found dead in Rautahat

A 30-year-old woman and her four year-year-old

son were found dead in Madhavnarayan Municipali-ty-1 in Rautahat district on Friday evening.

Police on Sunday said Marita Yadav and her son Raman were found dead of apparent poisoning.Over 7,000 miss Korean proficiency test; 247 get expelled for cheating

Thousands of candidates, who had registered for the Korean language proficiency test (TOPIK), did not take the exams that concluded on Sunday.RJP-N wont join govt now: Mahato

Rastriya Janata Party-Nepal (RJP-N) presidium member Rajendra Mahato has said his party will not join the government unless the constitution is amended to ensure the rights for Madhes and Madhesi people.Storage facilities to be built for dusty cargo

The Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supplies has begun work to acquire land to streamline the transportation of dusty cargo imported from India in a bid to reduce trade costs for importers.War of narrative

Monitoring is important but govt should not view all I/NGOs as competitors to the stateBy Ritah Kemigisa.

The slain Arua municipality MP Ibrahim Abiriga together with his body guard and driver Saidi Buga will be buried today at Rhino Camp in Arua district.

The duo was assassinated on Friday 8th June at Kawanda, Wakiso district a few kilometers from his home.

Many legislators and Ugandans have described Abiriga as a jovial, selfless, a true patriot and one who was loyal to his party.

Yesterday his body was airlifted from Kampala to Arua after a special sitting was held in his honor at parliament and early morning prayers held for him at Old Gaddafi Mosque where the deputy mufti sheik Abdallah Ssemambo called for the compensation of Abirigas family and other people who are killed in a similar manner.

President Yoweri Museveni is expected to grace the final sendoff of Abiriga.By Ruth Anderah.

The lord Mayor Erias lukwago and the minister for Kampala Betty Kamya have failed to resolve their differences out of court.

Lukwago says Kamya failed to turn up to the mediation meetings despite summons and thus had no option but to proceed with the hearing of the case.

Lukwago dragged Kamya to court accusing her of interfering with the executive powers of his office.

Lukwago claims his mandate to serve as the duly elected mayor of the city has been taken by Kamya who even took a decision on January 23rd 2018 to suspend council meetings where descisons to govern the city are made.

Today both Lukwago and Kamyas lawyers, Chrisestom Katumba and McDusman Kabega appeared before high court judge Henrietta Wolayo who adjourned the case to 12th July after being informed that the minister was away for a cabinet meeting.

This was not agreeable to Lukwago and his lawyer Chrisestom Katumba who insisted that the minister was deceiving court because the president who chairs the cabinet meetings was traveling to Arua to send off slain Arua Municipality MP Ibrahim Abiriga.By Samuel Ssebuliba.

President Yoweri Museveni has banned all motorists from covering their heads while driving or riding.

Addressing mourners at the burial of slain Ibrahim Abiriga in Lukudu village Arua district , Museveni said some wrong elements are using such hoods on their jackets to disguise after committing a crime.

He says the ban is one of the ways criminality will be stopped in the country.

Museveni added that those who killed Abiriga were wearing hoods something that made it difficult to be identified.

The president meanwhile says effective today all cyclists in Uganda will have to acquire new helmets with reflective numbers at the back.

Ibrahim Abiriga and his brother Saidi Buga who were shot dead on Friday 8th June a few kilometers from their home in Kawanda, Wakiso district have today been laid to rest at Rhino camp.By Ritah Kemigisa.

The minister without Portfolio Hajji Abdul Nadduli has revealed that a crisis meeting is to be held this week on Wednesday to find solutions to the growing insecurity in the country.

Nadduli says the meeting comes in the wake of the untimely assassination of Arua Municipality MP Ibrahim Abiriga on Friday together with his body guard.

He says the meeting which will attract legislators and security operatives will at the end of the day come decide on which method can be used to curtail crime in the country.

He has called upon all Ugandans to remain calm and patience as investigations continue to bring all the criminals behind the continuous murders and kidnaps to book.scholarship, news and new ideas in legal historyUsername: Password: or Register Thread Rating: 2 Vote(s) - 5 Average

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Page: 1 2 3 Burro Fire in Colorado Growing Rapidly - 4,000+ Acres - Air Quality Advisory silversides

The bare necessities of life

User ID: 148291

06-10-2018 09:23 PM



Posts: 29,378









Post: #1 Burro Fire in Colorado Growing Rapidly - 4,000+ Acres - Air Quality Advisory

Advertisement



Campers evacuated and hikers turned back as fire reaches 500 acres

By Jim Mimiaga Journal Staff Writer

Sunday, June 10, 2018 9:00 AM Updated 1 minute ago







The Burro Fire grew to about 500 acres by Sunday morning in a remote area of the San Juan National Forest about 23 miles northeast of Dolores. Firefighters looked to gain a foothold on its southern end to launch an offensive.



Firefighters from the U.S. Forest Service and several local fire departments responded about 4 p.m. Friday to the wildfire, about 5 miles south of Colorado Highway 145 along the Bear Creek trail.



The fire scorched 3 to 5 acres by 5 p.m. Friday. By 6:30 p.m., the fire grew to 40 acres, said Dolores District Ranger Derek Padilla, who was at the scene. Saturday night, the fire, which was burning in ponderosa pine and fir on a northeast-facing wall, was mapped at 493 acres by a multi-mission aircraft. The fire rapidly moved downslope and southward into Bear Creek drainage, Padilla said, and on Saturday was burning on both sides of Bear Creek and spreading northeast. Containment was zero percent.



We are working to establish an anchor point on the south end of the fire so we can engage, said Pat Seekins, Dolores District fire management officer.



Campers were evacuated, and hikers have been directed to safety, but no structures or private land were threatened, according to the Dolores Ranger District of the San Juan National Forest.



San Juan National Forest technician James Godwin was stationed Saturday at the closed Forest Service Roads 561 and 350 near the Transfer Campground. Dispersed campers, including a large ATV group, were told to leave.

...

https://the-journal.com/articles/99843#slide=0 Popurri Perez Prado

Crews look for a foothold to engage growing Burro FireCampers evacuated and hikers turned back as fire reaches 500 acresBy Jim Mimiaga Journal Staff WriterSunday, June 10, 2018 9:00 AM Updated 1 minute agoThe Burro Fire grew to about 500 acres by Sunday morning in a remote area of the San Juan National Forest about 23 miles northeast of Dolores. Firefighters looked to gain a foothold on its southern end to launch an offensive.Firefighters from the U.S. Forest Service and several local fire departments responded about 4 p.m. Friday to the wildfire, about 5 miles south of Colorado Highway 145 along the Bear Creek trail.The fire scorched 3 to 5 acres by 5 p.m. Friday. By 6:30 p.m., the fire grew to 40 acres, said Dolores District Ranger Derek Padilla, who was at the scene. Saturday night, the fire, which was burning in ponderosa pine and fir on a northeast-facing wall, was mapped at 493 acres by a multi-mission aircraft. The fire rapidly moved downslope and southward into Bear Creek drainage, Padilla said, and on Saturday was burning on both sides of Bear Creek and spreading northeast. Containment was zero percent.We are working to establish an anchor point on the south end of the fire so we can engage, said Pat Seekins, Dolores District fire management officer.Campers were evacuated, and hikers have been directed to safety, but no structures or private land were threatened, according to the Dolores Ranger District of the San Juan National Forest.San Juan National Forest technician James Godwin was stationed Saturday at the closed Forest Service Roads 561 and 350 near the Transfer Campground. Dispersed campers, including a large ATV group, were told to leave.... (This post was last modified: 06-16-2018 07:27 AM by silversides .) silversides

The bare necessities of life

User ID: 148291

06-10-2018 09:27 PM



Posts: 29,378









Post: #2 RE: New Wildfire in Colorado: Small But Rapidly Growing Burro Fire - 493 Acres



POSTED 9:11 AM, JUNE 10, 2018, BY WEB STAFF



MONTEZUMA COUNTY, Colo.  A wildfire that broke out not far from the 416 Fire in southwestern Colorado grew to nearly 500 acres, as of Sunday morning.

...

http://kdvr.com/2018/06/10/burro-fire-bu...493-acres/ Burro Fire, burning near 416 Fire in southwest Colorado, grows to 493 acresPOSTED 9:11 AM, JUNE 10, 2018, BY WEB STAFFMONTEZUMA COUNTY, Colo.  A wildfire that broke out not far from the 416 Fire in southwestern Colorado grew to nearly 500 acres, as of Sunday morning.... Popurri Perez Prado

PuddyCat

I Want Tuna

User ID: 348173

06-10-2018 09:34 PM



Posts: 23,036









Post: #3 RE: New Wildfire in Colorado: Small But Rapidly Growing Burro Fire - 493 Acres

These fires rage like monsters when they get going it's amazing.



They say "Zero containment" Hope all around there are okay. Politics only interests me because it transforms

people into dribbling nincompoops (The World Is Mad)







https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=izsjRpcgfmk



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=duF1OQho1gc silversides

The bare necessities of life

User ID: 148291

06-11-2018 08:45 AM



Posts: 29,378









Post: #4 RE: New Wildfire in Colorado: Small But Rapidly Growing Burro Fire - 493 Acres

PuddyCat Wrote: (06-10-2018 09:34 PM) These fires rage like monsters when they get going it's amazing.



They say "Zero containment" Hope all around there are okay.

There is no one around this one...



It is remote...



Some of the other ones have people near by...



-----------------



This is the general area where Colorado's last grizzly bear was killed...



In the 1970's... There is no one around this one...It is remote...Some of the other ones have people near by...-----------------This is the general area where Colorado's last grizzly bear was killed...In the 1970's... Popurri Perez Prado

GREY LENSMAN

Blue Crystal Storm

User ID: 444680

06-11-2018 11:40 AM



Posts: 3,480









Post: #5 RE: New Wildfire in Colorado: Small But Rapidly Growing Burro Fire - 493 Acres

DEAD FROM OLD AGE LODGE POLE PINES



GL The full force of Natural and Common Law shall be applicable at all times in all places and cannot be annulled by the declaration of emergency, war or other device by any State or entity.







[email protected] silversides

The bare necessities of life

User ID: 148291

06-11-2018 05:14 PM



Posts: 29,378









Post: #6 RE: New Wildfire in Colorado: Small But Rapidly Growing Burro Fire - 493 Acres

GREY LENSMAN Wrote: (06-11-2018 11:40 AM) DEAD FROM OLD AGE LODGE POLE PINES



GL

There is a huge dead forest in this general area that is infested with the pine bark Beatle...



I suspect a great many pine bugs are toast...



--------------------



They can not bring much fire equipment to this fire...



and it is near the other huge fire...



This one may merge...



--------------------



Burro Fire doubles in size to 1,000 acres; forest plans to close



Fire poses challenge in steep terrain, older stands of timber

By The Journal

Sunday, June 10, 2018 5:47 PM Updated 8 hours 42 minutes ago







The Burro Fire grew to about 1,000 acres by Sunday afternoon in a remote area of the San Juan National Forest about 23 miles northeast of Dolores, and was expected to grow as dry conditions continue. Firefighters looked to engage the fire on its southern end.



The San Juan National Forest announced late Sunday that it plans close the forest to most entry this week to protect natural resources and public safety because of the fire danger.



The closure order is expected to be signed Tuesday and remain in effect until the forest receives sufficient moisture to improve conditions, the forests acting public affairs officer, Cam Hooley, said in a press release Sunday night.



The closure order will prohibit entry into the San Juan National Forest, including entry by the general public, most administrative entry by Forest Service employees, and most uses authorized under Forest Service permits and contracts, the press release said. Under the Stage 3 closure, campgrounds, day use areas, roads and trails will be closed, Wilderness areas, hiking, dispersed camping and other recreational activities will be prohibited. Exemptions might be granted on a case-by-case basis with a written authorization from the Forest Service, which would include specific requirements for fire prevention. Exemptions must be requested from the appropriate District Ranger (below). Federal, state, or local officers conducting specific duties are exempt.



The McPhee Reservoir boat ramp and marina will likely remain open, but no shoreline use will be allowed, the press release said.

...

https://the-journal.com/articles/99929#slide=0 There is a huge dead forest in this general area that is infested with the pine bark Beatle...I suspect a great many pine bugs are toast...--------------------They can not bring much fire equipment to this fire...and it is near the other huge fire...This one may merge...--------------------Burro Fire doubles in size to 1,000 acres; forest plans to closeFire poses challenge in steep terrain, older stands of timberBy The JournalSunday, June 10, 2018 5:47 PM Updated 8 hours 42 minutes agoThe Burro Fire grew to about 1,000 acres by Sunday afternoon in a remote area of the San Juan National Forest about 23 miles northeast of Dolores, and was expected to grow as dry conditions continue. Firefighters looked to engage the fire on its southern end.The San Juan National Forest announced late Sunday that it plans close the forest to most entry this week to protect natural resources and public safety because of the fire danger.The closure order is expected to be signed Tuesday and remain in effect until the forest receives sufficient moisture to improve conditions, the forests acting public affairs officer, Cam Hooley, said in a press release Sunday night.The closure order will prohibit entry into the San Juan National Forest, including entry by the general public, most administrative entry by Forest Service employees, and most uses authorized under Forest Service permits and contracts, the press release said. Under the Stage 3 closure, campgrounds, day use areas, roads and trails will be closed, Wilderness areas, hiking, dispersed camping and other recreational activities will be prohibited. Exemptions might be granted on a case-by-case basis with a written authorization from the Forest Service, which would include specific requirements for fire prevention. Exemptions must be requested from the appropriate District Ranger (below). Federal, state, or local officers conducting specific duties are exempt.The McPhee Reservoir boat ramp and marina will likely remain open, but no shoreline use will be allowed, the press release said.... Popurri Perez Prado

(This post was last modified: 06-11-2018 05:20 PM by silversides .) GREY LENSMAN

Blue Crystal Storm

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06-11-2018 05:38 PM



Posts: 3,480









Post: #7 RE: New Wildfire in Colorado Rapidly Growing: Burro Fire doubles in size 1,000 acres

IT IS INFESTED BECAUSE IT IS DEAD FROM OLD AGE. THE BEETLES ARE PART OF NATURES CLEAN UP CREW.



GL The full force of Natural and Common Law shall be applicable at all times in all places and cannot be annulled by the declaration of emergency, war or other device by any State or entity.







[email protected] ObtuseObserver

Registered User

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06-11-2018 05:47 PM



Posts: 51









Post: #8 RE: New Wildfire in Colorado Rapidly Growing: Burro Fire doubles in size 1,000 acres



POSTED 8:31 AM, JUNE 10, 2018, BY WEB STAFF AND ASSOCIATED PRESS, UPDATED AT 08:18AM, JUNE 11, 2018

http://kdvr.com/2018/06/10/416-fire-in-s...ado-grows/



Burro fire is part of the 416 complex and is > 1000 Acres



Hot, dry, windy conditions with a Red Flag Warning in effect until 10 pm. Hot, dry, & windy conditions will continue thru tomorrow.



This is going to be a bad one, Cities to be impacted, Hermosa, Durango, Rico, Hespera,

Mayday. There are a number of other communities but they are not directly in the threats way at this time. 416 Fire in southwestern Colorado grows to 19,500 acres, San Juan National Forest to closePOSTED 8:31 AM, JUNE 10, 2018, BY WEB STAFF AND ASSOCIATED PRESS, UPDATED AT 08:18AM, JUNE 11, 2018Burro fire is part of the 416 complex and is > 1000 AcresHot, dry, windy conditions with a Red Flag Warning in effect until 10 pm. Hot, dry, & windy conditions will continue thru tomorrow.This is going to be a bad one, Cities to be impacted, Hermosa, Durango, Rico, Hespera,Mayday. There are a number of other communities but they are not directly in the threats way at this time. silversides

The bare necessities of life

User ID: 148291

06-11-2018 06:07 PM



Posts: 29,378









Post: #9 RE: New Wildfire in Colorado Rapidly Growing: Burro Fire doubles in size 1,000 acres







416 Fire Map





https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/5834/ Burro Fire map416 Fire Map Popurri Perez Prado

EarthGuy

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User ID: 444907

06-11-2018 07:30 PM



Posts: 521









Post: #10 RE: New Wildfire in Colorado Rapidly Growing: Burro Fire doubles in size 1,000 acres

Maybe there were some of those sex dens out there.



"The Burro Fire, named for a nearby mountain, started June 8 and burns 5 miles up the Bear Creek drainage northeast of Dolores.



SIZE OF FIRE: 1,000 acres, with no containment. It is expected to burn for weeks.





FIREFIGHTERS: The fire is transitioning from a Type 3 federal firefighting crew to a robust Type 1 crew, managed with the larger 416 Fire north of Durango. The two fires may merge. About 130 firefighters are battling the Burro Fire. Headquarters will be in Dolores."





Fire Restrictions:

Stage 2 fire restrictions are in place throughout Southwest Colorado.

Prohibited acts include:

No campfires, including in developed campgrounds and recreation areas. No charcoal or coal barbecues or wood-burning stoves. Gas, pressurized cannister powered stoves with shut-off valves are allowed if they are at least 3 feet away from flammable material such as grass.

No open burning, burn barrels or agricultural burns without prior approval.

No smoking, except for in a building or vehicle.

No welding, use of open-flame torches, pipe-fitting, or metal grinding without a fire-watch official present with proper mitigation tools.

Oil and gas welding and cutting operations can be done only in an area with a radius of at least 20 feet from all flammable materials.

No use of equipment with an internal combustion engine without a properly installed spark arresting device, including chain saws, ATVs and generators.

No use of chain saws without a spark-arresting device and a readily accessible fire extinguisher and shovel.

No explosives such as fireworks and tracer round bullets.

Note that agencies such as the Forest Service may have different restrictions.

San Juan National Forest

No traveling off marked roads, trails and parking areas in cars or off-road vehicles.

Discharging a firearm, air rifle or gas gun is prohibited on all land in the San Juan National Forest. LoP Guest

lop guest

User ID: 381174

06-11-2018 08:31 PM











Post: #11 RE: New Wildfire in Colorado Rapidly Growing: Burro Fire doubles in size 1,000 acres

Just like Hollywood, DC and Wall Street they never clean out the dead wood. LoP Guest

lop guest

User ID: 445544

06-11-2018 08:38 PM











Post: #12 RE: New Wildfire in Colorado Rapidly Growing: Burro Fire doubles in size 1,000 acres

GREY LENSMAN Wrote: (06-11-2018 05:38 PM) IT IS INFESTED BECAUSE IT IS DEAD FROM OLD AGE. THE BEETLES ARE PART OF NATURES CLEAN UP CREW.



GL

PINE BEETLES KILL ALL TREES, INCLUDING YOUNG AND OTHERWISE HEALTHY TREES.



THE BEETLES ARE NOT ANY SORT OF CLEANUP CREW, I'M NOT SURE WHERE YOU CAME UP THAT CRAP. PINE BEETLES KILL ALL TREES, INCLUDING YOUNG AND OTHERWISE HEALTHY TREES.THE BEETLES ARE NOT ANY SORT OF CLEANUP CREW, I'M NOT SURE WHERE YOU CAME UP THAT CRAP. LoP Guest

lop guest

User ID: 441553

06-11-2018 09:53 PM











Post: #13 RE: New Wildfire in Colorado Rapidly Growing: Burro Fire doubles in size 1,000 acres

I live here and the two fires are expected to merge and head towards

Purgatory resort. I was thinking we were going to evacuate but the

threat for us is over thanks to the wind changing. Thousands of peopkle

are still in danger of losing their homes. So far the fireman have done a

great job from keeping a single structure from burning despite the enormous

size of these fires. LoP Guest

lop guest

User ID: 441553

06-11-2018 09:55 PM











Post: #14 RE: New Wildfire in Colorado Rapidly Growing: Burro Fire doubles in size 1,000 acres

Stage 3 fire restrictions start tomorrow morning



All San Juan forest is closed until July 31st.



Major fines and court for even walking into the woods



Normally I'm against these kind of restrictions...but this is needed. silversides

The bare necessities of life

User ID: 148291

06-11-2018 10:36 PM



Posts: 29,378









Post: #15 RE: New Wildfire in Colorado Rapidly Growing: Burro Fire doubles in size 1,000 acres

LoP Guest Wrote: (06-11-2018 09:55 PM) Stage 3 fire restrictions start tomorrow morning



All San Juan forest is closed until July 31st.



Major fines and court for even walking into the woods



Normally I'm against these kind of restrictions...but this is needed.

If you read the wording, It seems to have banned plumbing work... If you read the wording, It seems to have banned plumbing work... Popurri Perez Prado

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'Fox & Friends' Host Calls North Korea Summit A Meeting Of 'Two Dictators' LoP Guest

lop guest

User ID: 440086

06-11-2018 02:47 AM











Post: #1 'Fox & Friends' Host Calls North Korea Summit A Meeting Of 'Two Dictators'

Advertisement



Huntsman and Fox & Friends guest Anthony Scaramucci, who was infamously fired as White House communications director after just 10 days in office, chatted about the highly anticipated summit during the show Sunday.



This is history, Huntsman said over video showing Trump arriving in Singapore ahead of Tuesdays meeting with Kim.



Regardless of what happens in that meeting between the two dictators, what we are seeing right now  this is history, she continued.



https://www.yahoo.com/news/apos-fox-frie...55600.html Fox & Friends co-host Abby Huntsman seemed to slip up Sunday while discussing the upcoming summit between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, calling it a meeting of two dictators.Huntsman and Fox & Friends guest Anthony Scaramucci, who was infamously fired as White House communications director after just 10 days in office, chatted about the highly anticipated summit during the show Sunday.This is history, Huntsman said over video showing Trump arriving in Singapore ahead of Tuesdays meeting with Kim.Regardless of what happens in that meeting between the two dictators, what we are seeing right now  this is history, she continued. (This post was last modified: 06-11-2018 04:36 AM by Strange Candy .) LoP Guest

lop guest

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06-11-2018 02:49 AM











Post: #2 RE: 'Fox & Friends' Host Calls North Korea Summit A Meeting Of 'Two Dictators'





TELL-A-VISION PROGRAMMING

lop guest

User ID: 441548

06-11-2018 02:53 AM











Post: #3 RE: 'Fox & Friends' Host Calls North Korea Summit A Meeting Of 'Two Dictators'

saw that this morning as it happened. Fux needs to apologize saw that this morning as it happened. Fux needs to apologize LoP Guest

lop guest

User ID: 384149

06-11-2018 02:56 AM











Post: #4 RE: 'Fox & Friends' Host Calls North Korea Summit A Meeting Of 'Two Dictators'

Boycott all main stream media, throw yer tv away and be done with their nonsense. TELL-A-VISION PROGRAMMING

lop guest

User ID: 441548

06-11-2018 02:58 AM











Post: #5 RE: 'Fox & Friends' Host Calls North Korea Summit A Meeting Of 'Two Dictators'

LoP Guest Wrote: (06-11-2018 02:56 AM) Boycott all main stream media, throw yer tv away and be done with their nonsense.

You have to listen to all msm in order to be able to weed out the bits of truth.



Ignoring msm just makes you more of a brainwashed slave You have to listen to all msm in order to be able to weed out the bits of truth.Ignoring msm just makes you more of a brainwashed slave LoP Guest

lop guest

User ID: 384149

06-11-2018 03:01 AM











Post: #6 RE: 'Fox & Friends' Host Calls North Korea Summit A Meeting Of 'Two Dictators'

SPYGATE/OBAMAGATE Wrote: (06-11-2018 02:58 AM) LoP Guest Wrote: (06-11-2018 02:56 AM) Boycott all main stream media, throw yer tv away and be done with their nonsense.

You have to listen to all msm in order to be able to weed out the bits of truth.



Ignoring msm just makes you more of a brainwashed slave

you can watch it all on the Internet. I catch it whenever someone posts it. suckers pay those cable bills..... you can watch it all on the Internet. I catch it whenever someone posts it. suckers pay those cable bills..... LoP Guest

lop guest

User ID: 445437

06-11-2018 03:02 AM











Post: #7 RE: 'Fox & Friends' Host Calls North Korea Summit A Meeting Of 'Two Dictators'

SPYGATE/OBAMAGATE Wrote: (06-11-2018 02:58 AM) LoP Guest Wrote: (06-11-2018 02:56 AM) Boycott all main stream media, throw yer tv away and be done with their nonsense.

You have to listen to all msm in order to be able to weed out the bits of truth.



Ignoring msm just makes you more of a brainwashed slave

Pretending you are so much better than the army of liars feeding you dis and misinfo sounds like you've been successfully brainwashed. Pretending you are so much better than the army of liars feeding you dis and misinfo sounds like you've been successfully brainwashed. Uppity Me

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06-11-2018 04:32 AM



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Post: #8 RE: 'Fox & Friends' Host Calls North Korea Summit A Meeting Of 'Two Dictators'

Unbiased media Quote: Les pauvres n'ont-ils des Euros ?

Alors laissez les pauvres 'sh*t' dans les rues LoP Guest

lop guest

User ID: 441975

06-11-2018 04:40 AM











Post: #9 RE: 'Fox & Friends' Host Calls North Korea Summit A Meeting Of 'Two Dictators'

Fux is being bought out by the Communist Left in 3....2..... 269346

The Grinch Who Stole LOPmas!

User ID: 391289

06-11-2018 06:45 AM



Posts: 7,029









Post: #10 RE: 'Fox & Friends' Host Calls North Korea Summit A Meeting Of 'Two Dictators'

I was watching it this morning and looked up when she said it and thought did she really just say that? Then later in the show she said she made a mistake earlier and I started laughing because I realized I heard correctly.















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Page: 1 2 Facebook "embeds," Russia and the Trump campaign's secret weapon spo snouou

Vocem sine nomine audivit!

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06-11-2018 08:07 PM



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Post: #1 Facebook "embeds," Russia and the Trump campaign's secret weapon

Advertisement



Tonight you will hear from the man President Donald Trump appointed as his 2020 re-election campaign manager. His name is Brad Parscale, and he got the job because - as we first reported in October - Parscale was the president's secret weapon in his 2016 run for the White House.



Quote: Brad Parscale was in the driver's seat. In the beginning of the campaign he worked alone at home in San Antonio, but by the end he had 100 people reporting to him. One of his main jobs was to send out carefully-tailored, low-cost digital ads to millions of people.



Lesley Stahl: And these were ads on Facebook?



Brad Parscale: Facebook, we did 'em on Twitter, Google search, other platforms. Facebook was the 500-pound gorilla, 80 percent of the budget kind of thing.



Facebook's advertising technology helped President Obama in 2012, but today Facebook offers something far more precise and sophisticated. While the president tweeted in the past that "Facebook was always anti-Trump," Parscale relied heavily on the company. Particularly on its cutting-edge targeting tools.



Lesley Stahl: One of the best things Facebook did for you, I heard, was penetrate the rural vote. Is that correct?



Brad Parscale: Yeah. So Facebook now lets you get to places and places possibly that you would never go with TV ads. Now, I can find, you know, 15 people in the Florida Panhandle that I would never buy a TV commercial for. And, we took opportunities that I think the other side didn't.



Lesley Stahl: Like what?



Brad Parscale: Well, we had our-- their staff embedded inside our offices.



Lesley Stahl: What?



Brad Parscale: Yeah, Facebook employees would show up for work every day in our offices.



Lesley Stahl: Whoa, wait a minute. Facebook employees showed up at the Trump headquarters --



Brad Parscale: Google employees, and Twitter employees.



Lesley Stahl: They were embedded in your campaign?



Brad Parscale: I mean, like, they were there multiple days a week, three, four days a week, two days week, five days a week --



Lesley Stahl: What were they doing inside? I mean --



Brad Parscale: Helping teach us how to use their platform. I wanna get --



Lesley Stahl: Helping him get elected?



Brad Parscale: I asked each one of them by email, I wanna know every, single secret button, click, technology you have. "I wanna know everything you would tell Hillary's campaign plus some. And I want your people here to teach me how to use it."



Lesley Stahl: Inside?



Brad Parscale: Yeah, I want 'em sittin' right next to us --



Lesley Stahl: How do you know they weren't Trojan Horses?



Brad Parscale: 'Cause I'd ask 'em to be Republicans, and I'd -- we'd talk to 'em.



Lesley Stahl: Oh, you only wanted Republicans?



Brad Parscale: I wanted people who support Donald Trump from their companies.



Lesley Stahl: And that's what you got?



Brad Parscale: Yeah. They already have divisions set up that way.



Lesley Stahl: What do you mean?



Brad Parscale: They already have groups of people in their political divisions that are Republican and Democrat.

more:

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/facebook-em...0-minutes/ Brad Parscale, digital director for Trump's campaign, was a critical factor in the president's election. Now questions surround how he did itTonight you will hear from the man President Donald Trump appointed as his 2020 re-election campaign manager. His name is Brad Parscale, and he got the job because - as we first reported in October - Parscale was the president's secret weapon in his 2016 run for the White House.more: Luvapottamus

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06-11-2018 08:19 PM



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Post: #2 RE: Facebook "embeds," Russia and the Trump campaign's secret weapon





http://lunaticoutpost.com/thread-12595.html All the campaigns have doing this crap with Big Data analytics since at least 2008, including Obama. (This post was last modified: 06-11-2018 08:19 PM by Luvapottamus .) BlackCat

Every day is an extra day

User ID: 439673

06-11-2018 08:22 PM



Posts: 13,504









Post: #3 RE: Facebook "embeds," Russia and the Trump campaign's secret weapon

guess we need to be on our toes. "There is something as inevitable as Death and that is Life. Think of the power of the Universe...turning the Earth, growing trees...



That is the same power within you, if only you only have the courage and the will to use it."



~Charlie Chaplin Eldog Wilbury

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User ID: 441549

06-11-2018 08:32 PM



Posts: 12,964









Post: #4 RE: Facebook "embeds," Russia and the Trump campaign's secret weapon

Facebook censors the conservative view...again I will say it...facebook and google are the election meddlers...F fb and goober...btw they did a shitty job,regardless of their diddling Trump is still POTUS... spo snouou

Vocem sine nomine audivit!

User ID: 350320

06-12-2018 03:03 AM



Posts: 67,593









Post: #5 RE: Facebook "embeds," Russia and the Trump campaign's secret weapon

Luvapottamus Wrote: (06-11-2018 08:19 PM) All the campaigns have doing this crap with Big Data analytics since at least 2008, including Obama.



http://lunaticoutpost.com/thread-12595.html

LOL .. your thread is about Ted Cruz milking Big Data analytics for what it worth..



something is worse..

fallacy



you too.. tu quoque

+

false equivalency



Obama does it



Trump supporters defending Russian psychological operations on US citizens.. then claiming to be the ultimate indisputable god fearing American Patriots.



It's just more of the same fkn thing every day LOL .. your thread is about Ted Cruz milking Big Data analytics for what it worth..something is worse..fallacyyou too.. tu quoquefalse equivalencyObama does itTrump supporters defending Russian psychological operations on US citizens.. then claiming to be the ultimate indisputable god fearing American Patriots.It's just more of the same fkn thing every day spo snouou

Vocem sine nomine audivit!

User ID: 350320

06-12-2018 03:12 AM



Posts: 67,593









Post: #6 RE: Facebook "embeds," Russia and the Trump campaign's secret weapon

Eldog Wilbury Wrote: (06-11-2018 08:32 PM) Facebook censors the conservative view...again I will say it...facebook and google are the election meddlers...F fb and goober...btw they did a shitty job,regardless of their diddling Trump is still POTUS...



more pathetic badly thought out fallacy..



you idiots got anything else to defend the GOP , the NRA and the Trump campaign working to dismantle western democratic diplomatic relations and create turmoil in any international interactions with the US? .. all on behalf of a worldwide cabal of multinationals of the most morbidly psychopathic kind.. globalist fossil fuel empires, every criminal oligarch from central Europe .. the Murdoch's and Koch's and Mercer's and all the scum that prop up your propaganda machines.. the parasitical filthy rich..



all we hear is cries of denial, Soros Soros.. !



more pathetic badly thought out fallacy..you idiots got anything else to defend the GOP , the NRA and the Trump campaign working to dismantle western democratic diplomatic relations and create turmoil in any international interactions with the US? .. all on behalf of a worldwide cabal of multinationals of the most morbidly psychopathic kind.. globalist fossil fuel empires, every criminal oligarch from central Europe .. the Murdoch's and Koch's and Mercer's and all the scum that prop up your propaganda machines.. the parasitical filthy rich..all we hear is cries of denial, Soros Soros.. ! (This post was last modified: 06-12-2018 03:14 AM by spo snouou .) Hrd2Stbd

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User ID: 445168

06-12-2018 03:18 AM



Posts: 3,807









Post: #7 RE: Facebook "embeds," Russia and the Trump campaign's secret weapon

It was Russians. It was Facebook. It was the Loch Ness monster. Liberals are too arrogant and stupid to admit it was their MESSAGE and their shitty candidate that lost the election.



Asshat doesn't seem to get that this is NOT a liberal nation full of mindless little globalist automatons. We aren't decendents of convicts. We are decendents of people who rebelled and explored across the continent to build this country, not good little subjects of a monarch 6000 miles away. And that's why Asshat's employers want to destroy us. "The First Amendment is first for a reason. The Second Amendment is just in case the first one doesn't work out."



-Dave Chappelle







Be August Landmesser Hrd2Stbd

Registered User

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06-12-2018 03:25 AM



Posts: 3,807









Post: #8 RE: Facebook "embeds," Russia and the Trump campaign's secret weapon

spo snouou Wrote: (06-12-2018 03:12 AM) Eldog Wilbury Wrote: (06-11-2018 08:32 PM) Facebook censors the conservative view...again I will say it...facebook and google are the election meddlers...F fb and goober...btw they did a shitty job,regardless of their diddling Trump is still POTUS...



more pathetic badly thought out fallacy..



you idiots got anything else to defend the GOP , the NRA and the Trump campaign working to dismantle western democratic diplomatic relations and create turmoil in any international interactions with the US? .. all on behalf of a worldwide cabal of multinationals of the most morbidly psychopathic kind.. globalist fossil fuel empires, every criminal oligarch from central Europe .. the Murdoch's and Koch's and Mercer's and all the scum that prop up your propaganda machines.. the parasitical filthy rich..



all we hear is cries of denial, Soros Soros.. !





You love using the same old tired, meaningless terminology to try to discredit your opposition while claiming some sort of psychological superiority. "Fallacy". "Group narcissism". You don't really have anything else but the opinions of other liberal but jobs that confirm your bias, do you? Just copy pasting, adding your bitter little diatribes with your same old tired insults. Predictable. You love using the same old tired, meaningless terminology to try to discredit your opposition while claiming some sort of psychological superiority. "Fallacy". "Group narcissism". You don't really have anything else but the opinions of other liberal but jobs that confirm your bias, do you? Just copy pasting, adding your bitter little diatribes with your same old tired insults. Predictable. "The First Amendment is first for a reason. The Second Amendment is just in case the first one doesn't work out."



-Dave Chappelle







Be August Landmesser spo snouou

Vocem sine nomine audivit!

User ID: 350320

06-12-2018 03:32 AM



Posts: 67,593









Post: #9 RE: Facebook "embeds," Russia and the Trump campaign's secret weapon

Hrd2Stbd Wrote: (06-12-2018 03:18 AM) It was Russians. It was Facebook. It was the Loch Ness monster. Liberals are too arrogant and stupid to admit it was their MESSAGE and their shitty candidate that lost the election.



Asshat doesn't seem to get that this is NOT a liberal nation full of mindless little globalist automatons. We aren't decendents of convicts. We are decendents of people who rebelled and explored across the continent to build this country, not good little subjects of a monarch 6000 miles away. And that's why Asshat's employers want to destroy us.

Well..It seems NO Aussies explored across this continent to build this country.. the fhuck ?







LOL more pathetic attempted ad nausem ad hominem character assassination of me based on where I am located... as :

get this ; justification for running a corrupt election campaign as a vehicle for a hostile foreign agenda to disrupt international relations and corrupt the voting systems of western nations worldwide.



Every time you see a pathetic idiot like this one make accusations like that, this is what they are defending



Every time you see someone parroting the latest Qanon and every time you blindly allow it to sway your opinion either towards the left or the right .. this is what they are supporting.. I was telling this forum that exact same thing 2 years ago... and my message hasn't changed.



Well..It seems NO Aussies explored across this continent to build this country.. the fhuck ?LOL more pathetic attempted ad nausem ad hominem character assassination of me based on where I am located... as :get this ; justification for running a corrupt election campaign as a vehicle for a hostile foreign agenda to disrupt international relations and corrupt the voting systems of western nations worldwide.Every time you see a pathetic idiot like this one make accusations like that, this is what they are defendingEvery time you see someone parroting the latest Qanon and every time you blindly allow it to sway your opinion either towards the left or the right .. this is what they are supporting.. I was telling this forum that exact same thing 2 years ago... and my message hasn't changed. LoP Guest

lop guest

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06-12-2018 03:33 AM











Post: #10 RE: Facebook "embeds," Russia and the Trump campaign's secret weapon





[ ]CBS NEWS[/size] Eldog Wilbury

Registered User

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06-12-2018 03:34 AM



Posts: 12,964









Post: #11 RE: Facebook "embeds," Russia and the Trump campaign's secret weapon

spo snouou Wrote: (06-12-2018 03:12 AM) Eldog Wilbury Wrote: (06-11-2018 08:32 PM) Facebook censors the conservative view...again I will say it...facebook and google are the election meddlers...F fb and goober...btw they did a shitty job,regardless of their diddling Trump is still POTUS...



more pathetic badly thought out fallacy..



you idiots got anything else to defend the GOP , the NRA and the Trump campaign working to dismantle western democratic diplomatic relations and create turmoil in any international interactions with the US? .. all on behalf of a worldwide cabal of multinationals of the most morbidly psychopathic kind.. globalist fossil fuel empires, every criminal oligarch from central Europe .. the Murdoch's and Koch's and Mercer's and all the scum that prop up your propaganda machines.. the parasitical filthy rich..



all we hear is cries of denial, Soros Soros.. !





Where in my comment am I defending any of those things that you mention...I am only saying facebooger and goober are election diddler douche... Where in my comment am I defending any of those things that you mention...I am only saying facebooger and goober are election diddler douche... LoP Guest

lop guest

User ID: 445603

06-12-2018 03:37 AM











Post: #12 RE: Facebook "embeds," Russia and the Trump campaign's secret weapon

AC is a classic example of the neo marxist agenda imposing on itself.



So fun to watch. LoP Guest

lop guest

User ID: 445603

06-12-2018 03:38 AM











Post: #13 RE: Facebook "embeds," Russia and the Trump campaign's secret weapon

spo snouou Wrote: (06-12-2018 03:12 AM) Eldog Wilbury Wrote: (06-11-2018 08:32 PM) Facebook censors the conservative view...again I will say it...facebook and google are the election meddlers...F fb and goober...btw they did a shitty job,regardless of their diddling Trump is still POTUS...



more pathetic badly thought out fallacy..



you idiots got anything else to defend the GOP , the NRA and the Trump campaign working to dismantle western democratic diplomatic relations and create turmoil in any international interactions with the US? .. all on behalf of a worldwide cabal of multinationals of the most morbidly psychopathic kind.. globalist fossil fuel empires, every criminal oligarch from central Europe .. the Murdoch's and Koch's and Mercer's and all the scum that prop up your propaganda machines.. the parasitical filthy rich..



all we hear is cries of denial, Soros Soros.. !





Seriously comedy gold.



Seriously comedy gold. spo snouou

Vocem sine nomine audivit!

User ID: 350320

06-12-2018 03:53 AM



Posts: 67,593









Post: #14 RE: Facebook "embeds," Russia and the Trump campaign's secret weapon

Hrd2Stbd Wrote: (06-12-2018 03:25 AM) spo snouou Wrote: (06-12-2018 03:12 AM) more pathetic badly thought out fallacy..



you idiots got anything else to defend the GOP , the NRA and the Trump campaign working to dismantle western democratic diplomatic relations and create turmoil in any international interactions with the US? .. all on behalf of a worldwide cabal of multinationals of the most morbidly psychopathic kind.. globalist fossil fuel empires, every criminal oligarch from central Europe .. the Murdoch's and Koch's and Mercer's and all the scum that prop up your propaganda machines.. the parasitical filthy rich..



all we hear is cries of denial, Soros Soros.. !





You love using the same old tired, meaningless terminology to try to discredit your opposition while claiming some sort of psychological superiority. "Fallacy". "Group narcissism". You don't really have anything else but the opinions of other liberal but jobs that confirm your bias, do you? Just copy pasting, adding your bitter little diatribes with your same old tired insults. Predictable.

excuse me, but the "Group narcissism" sticks out like dogsballs



you want to deny it.. but it is the undeniable truth



I am not saying I am not effected by "narcissism" it's a natural spectrum of behavior.. I am not saying the left isn't effected by "Group narcissism".. the difference is Me and all the moderates, the secular thinkers and every one left of the far-right GOP and Trump supporter hoards of morbidly psychopathic and artificially weaponized "Group narcissists" that attempt to see though this psychologically manipulated political environment can piece together the motives and techniques being used by the far-right that is exploding in slow motion day by day into a full fronted fascist operation.



There is nothing psychological superior in having to constantly point out "Fallacy". It is just fkn sad that cognitively compromised people need to revert to defending undefendable positions with it, really..



I am not now or ever have I been trying to say my beliefs are better than anyone else's beliefs.. The difference is in how I refuse to allow my beliefs to be hijacked by some non-existent human construction.. be it a specific type of god or an authoritarian take over of western democracy. excuse me, but the "Group narcissism" sticks out like dogsballsyou want to deny it.. but it is the undeniable truthI am not saying I am not effected by "narcissism" it's a natural spectrum of behavior.. I am not saying the left isn't effected by "Group narcissism".. the difference is Me and all the moderates, the secular thinkers and every one left of the far-right GOP and Trump supporter hoards of morbidly psychopathic and artificially weaponized "Group narcissists" that attempt to see though this psychologically manipulated political environment can piece together the motives and techniques being used by the far-right that is exploding in slow motion day by day into a full fronted fascist operation.There is nothing psychological superior in having to constantly point out "Fallacy". It is just fkn sad that cognitively compromised people need to revert to defending undefendable positions with it, really..I am not now or ever have I been trying to say my beliefs are better than anyone else's beliefs.. The difference is in how I refuse to allow my beliefs to be hijacked by some non-existent human construction.. be it a specific type of god or an authoritarian take over of western democracy. spo snouou

Vocem sine nomine audivit!

User ID: 350320

06-12-2018 03:56 AM



Posts: 67,593









Post: #15 RE: Facebook "embeds," Russia and the Trump campaign's secret weapon

LoP Guest Wrote: (06-12-2018 03:37 AM) AC is a classic example of the neo marxist agenda imposing on itself.



So fun to watch.

I think you meant imploding?







well no



I am a typical secular moderate.. your 'neo marxist' emotionally laced epithet is about 60 years out of date. I think you meant imploding?well noI am a typical secular moderate.. your 'neo marxist' emotionally laced epithet is about 60 years out of date. Advertisement

















iStock/Thinkstock(CLEVELAND, Ohio) -- Authorities are offering a $5,000 reward to anyone who has information about a mysterious Ohio home explosion, which killed one and critically injured another.



The East Cleveland house had recently been sold and was vacant at the time of the Sunday afternoon explosion, East Cleveland Police Chief Michael Cardilli said at a news conference Monday.



It's unclear why the victims were there and the cause was under investigation, Cardilli said.



The blast killed a woman -- whose name has not been released -- and left a 51-year-old man in critical condition with multiple burn injuries, the East Cleveland Fire Department said.



The explosion also damaged several neighboring houses, the fire department said. Multiple homes remained not livable on Monday because of structural problems, Cardilli said.

Copyright  2018, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.



MPIC completes buy-in of Vietnam water firm

posted June 11, 2018 at 07:05 pm by Jenniffer B. Austria June 11, 2018 at 07:05 pm

Conglomerate Metro Pacific Investment Corp. completed the acquisition of a 49-percent stake in one of the largest water companies in Vietnam for P2 billion. Metro Pacific said in a disclosure to the stock exchange wholly-owned unit MetroPac Water Investments Corp. finished the purchase of 37.926 million shares in Tuan Loc Water Resources Investment Joint Stock Company. The transaction allows Metro Pacific to enter and expand into the Vietnam water market.Tuan Loc Water is one of the largest water companies in Vietnam, with 310 million liters per day of installed capacity and a billed volume of approximately 87 MLD as of end 2017. Majority of Tuan Loc Waters 310 MLD of operating capacity will be supplied to industrial parks. It has three main project assets, including Song Lam Raw Water Treatment Plant with an installed capacity of 200 MLD and expandable to 300 MLD.

COMMENT DISCLAIMER: Reader comments posted on this Web site are not in any way endorsed by Manila Standard. Comments are views by manilastandard.net readers who exercise their right to free expression and they do not necessarily represent or reflect the position or viewpoint of manilastandard.net. While reserving this publications right to delete comments that are deemed offensive, indecent or inconsistent with Manila Standard editorial standards, Manila Standard may not be held liable for any false information posted by readers in this comments section.A Norwegian fugitive wanted for killing his own brother two years ago in Olso, Norway, was arrested by Immigration authorities in Laguna, according to Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morenta. Helge Stensland, ranged against a corner at his house in Sta. Cruz Laguna, was being sought by Norwegian police for the death of his brother, Audun, whom he allegedly stabbed to death inside his home in the town of Hellvik in southwestern Norway on Oct. 16, 2016. Stensland fled to Manila last April 11, three months after a Norwegian court sentenced him to seven years in prison for homicide. Aside from his jail sentence, Stensland was also ordered by Norwegian authorities to pay his victims widow and his four children more than 1.7 million Norwgian Krones (US$220,000) in damages, Morente said. According to BI-Fugitive and Search Unit Chief Bobby Raquepo, Stensland had been frequenting the Philippines for the past two decades as he was married to a Filipina with whom he has two children. Stenslands crime was ruled as a homicide as the court held that he did not intend to kill his brother when he stabbed him during the incident. Reports said the siblings had just arrived at Stenslands home from a party, when they had an altercation and a fistfight.Stensland allegedly got hold of a knife and stabbed his brother once in the chest, hitting the latters heart that led to his death. The suspect invoked self-defense as the cause of his brothers death, although prosecutors charged that he should be held liable for murder. His case was under appeal and was scheduled for hearing when authorities learned that Stensland and his family had disappeared and had fled to the Philippines. SMUGGLED ONIONS. Customs Commissioner Isidro Lapena (2nd from left) inspects Monday the P4.5 million worth of smuggled onions from China declared as ceramics at the Bureau of Customs in Manila.

Government agents seized 17.7 kilos of shabu worth more than P120 million, the second smuggling attempt by criminals, at the Clark International Airport this month, officials said Monday. The contraband, according to Customs Commissioner Isidro Lapena Jr., was hidden in parcels described by its owners in the manifest as chairs and bar tools.Meanwhile, the Bureau of Customs also announced the seizure of P4.5 million worth of smuggled onions from China declared as coffee mugs, saucer and decors at the Port of Manila. Customs Commissioner Isidro Lapena said the goods, contained in three 40-footer containers vans were discovered after Customs authorities after X-ray scanning revealed suspicious image different to the declared items. The containers declared as mugs, saucer, and decors made of ceramics, came from China, and consigned to Precious Prince Enterprises with office address in Paranaque City. These containers were subjected to a non-intrusive inspection by the X-ray Inspection Project, however, scanned image showed other items that do not correspond to the declaration which are mugs, saucer, and decors, Lapena said. Lapena said four packages bearing the same description as the parcels seized on June 2 arrived from California in Clark on June 5. He added the parcels were consigned to Christian Santillan Frias, Robert Alejandro Nazareno, Dominic Espinosa Gallardo, all of Quezon City, and Gina Fernandez Santiago of Taguig City. The senders were identified as Rania Frias, Maria Nazareno, Vanessa Gallardo, and Rania Fernandez. With the heightened border control against illegal drugs, the customs examiners conducted a profiling on the incoming shipments with description of goods and country of origin strikingly similar to the scheme of Port of Clarks latest seizure, said Lapena. The X-ray examination and K9 units and Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency sniffing dogs all pointed to positive results for organic substances.After close coordination with PDEA, the four packages were subjected to 100-percent examination where the Customs examiners and PDEA agents found two packs of crystalline substances in each of the four boxes. The PDEA agents utilized a drug meter reader detector which registered positive for methamphetamine hydrochloride, Lapena explained. The Customs operatives applied a controlled delivery scheme leading to the arrest of Everlyn Lunzaga who received the parcel consigned to Nazareno. We are suspecting that the sender of these packages is international drug cartels. Only recently, we put up several X-ray machines at the three terminals of Naia [Ninoy Aquino International Airport] to stop incidents of airport smuggling. Because of the stricter border protection in Naia, perhaps the drug smugglers are now diverting their smuggled and contraband goods in other airports such as Port of Clark, Lapena said. Earlier this month, the authorities also used the controlled delivery tactic to arrest the culprits in the smuggling of illegal drugs worth P74.8 million in Clark. The strict profiling of Customs personnel in Clark port also resulted in the seizure of the 11.5 kilograms of shabu concealed in separate parcels. Authorities said the controlled delivery technic was used when a consignment of illicit drugs was detected and allowed to go forward under the control and surveillance of law enforcement officers in order to secure evidence against the organizers of such illicit drug traffic. This operation has been proved effective in some countries in identifying and bringing to justice principals, organizers and financiers of the drug trade. Lapena commended the Port of Clark led by district collector Lilibeth Sandag for their strict profiling and monitoring of parcels arriving in their port. He also praised the men from Customs-ESS and PDEAs Region Office 3 and NCR for successfully conducting three anti-drugs controlled delivery operations in one day.Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales said she would be unable to investigate and file charges against those involved in the third batch of pork barrel scam suspects before she retires in July because of her heavy caseload. Unfortunately, given the volume of cases that the office is handling, I am afraid we may not be able to finish all PDAF cases, she said, referring to allegations of the misuse of pork barrel, official known as Priority Development Assistance Fund. Morales said there are over 6,000 docketed cases as of Dec. 31 last year, and said the heavy workload was overpowering. The next Ombudsman must immediately act on the pending cases and prioritize those involving the PDAF, the Disbursement Acceleration Program, and the P900-million Malampaya fund scams. She maintained there was no selective justice when the Ombudsman found probable cause to indict former opposition senators Juan Ponce Enrile, Ramon Revilla Jr., and Jinggoy Estrada and charge them for their involvement in the P10-billion PDAF scam allegedly orchestrated by businesswoman Janet Lim Napoles. Why were these cases prioritized? First, they are high-profile cases. Second and more importantly, youd recall that Napoles executed an affidavit naming them, detailing the circumstances that gave rise to these cases, she said. It was easier for us to pass upon these cases because there was this confession of Napoles and of course, independently of that, we have the testimony of Benhur Luy and we have documentary evidence sourced from Luy and sourced elsewhere. In an interview with CNN Philippines, Carpio also admitted she was hurt by President Rodrigo Dutertes tirades. She angered the President when she said his war on drugs was goading people to kill. She also apologized to Duterte if he thought he was the one whom she was referring to when she recently spoke before the Integrated Bar of the Philippines and said that great countries do not need strong men but strong institutions.If it happened to be a jab against him or about him, Im sorry. But thats a universal principle, she said. She said it does not really matter if the President doesnt consult her on who would be the next Ombudsman. The President is entitled to his own opinion, she said. Morales, who is about to retire on July 26, said she believes she has performed her job well. I can look at anyone straight in the face [to say] I have integrity. I have not done anything below the standard that I want and the standard that I want is you must have independence and you must have integrity. Those are the traits that I want the succeeding Ombudsman to have, she said. Morales also hit former Justice secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II for placing Napoles under the witness protection program. Aguirres move was out of tune, she said, adding that it was the Ombudsman that should determine if an accused could turn into a state witness or not. As far as the criminal complaint against former Davao City vice mayor Paolo Duterte is concerned, Morales said the case involved his statements of assets, liabilities and net worth is still pending before the Deputy Ombudsman for Military and Other Law Enforcement Offices. What I know is that it has not been terminated yet. I think it has to do with his SALN. I think they segued to the preliminary investigation, she told the interviewer.PIONEERING DISH. This photograph, taken on June 6, 2018, shows a man taking a photograph of a poster offering a Trump-Kim Chi nasi lemak, a popular local dish, outside a restaurant in Singapore, ahead of the June 12 summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. AFP

SingaporeThe US has offered North Korea unique security guarantees to try to persuade it to give up its nuclear arsenal, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Monday ahead of Tuesdays crucial summit in Singapore. The talks were advancing faster than expected but were still ongoing with little more than 12 hours to go before Kim Jong Un sits down with Donald Trump, Pompeo told reporters. The meeting, long sought by Pyongyang, will be the first ever between a serving US president and a North Korean leader and will focus on the nuclear bombs and ballistic missiles the North has spent decades developing. The Trump administration will only accept complete denuclearization, Pompeo stressed. In return, he said, Washington would offer different and unique guarantees to provide them sufficient certainty that they can be comfortable that denuclearization is not something that ends badly for them. He refused to go into details. But the North has long sought an end to the US military presence in the South, where Washington has around 28,000 troops stationed to protect it from its neighbor. Pyongyang has demanded the end of what it calls a hostile policy towards it, but in public has only pledged to pursue the denuclearization of the Korean peninsulaa euphemism open to wide differences of interpretation. Washington is eager to see if the Norths pledges were sincere, Pompeo said, adding: The United States has been fooled before. Verification would be key, he went on, saying many deals had been signed before only to find the North Koreans did not promise what they said. Trump and Kim will first meet one-on-one in a closed session, before a larger meeting with key advisers, US officials said. A senior White House official said Trump was feeling good and that the summit was open-ended, adding: They will talk for as long as they need to. Pompeo signaled there would be more discussions to come, adding that Tuesdays meeting will set the framework for the hard work that will follow. We will see how far we get. In Seoul, President Moon Jae-in had a 40-minute phone call with Trump, after telling key aides that it could take one year, two years or even longer to completely resolve the issues concerned.Tuesdays summit is an extraordinary turnaround from last year, when Trump threatened the North with fire and fury and Kim dubbed him a mentally deranged US dotard, sending fears of conflict soaring. The summit has also raised hopes of progress towards a peace treaty to formally end the Korean War, the last festering legacy of the Cold War, after hostilities only stopped with an armistice. But critics have warned it risks becoming more of a media circus than an occasion for substantial progress. The US leader has whipsawed on expectations for the meeting, signalling that it could be the beginning of a process of several meetings, only to call it a one-time shot for peace as he embarked for Singapore and saying he would know within the first minute whether an agreement would be possible. I just think its going to work out very nicely, said Trump at a working lunch with the prime minister of Singapore. The North, which has been subjected to increasingly strict sanctions by the UN Security Council and others, has made promises of change in the past, such as at the lengthy Six Party Talks process, only for the agreements to collapse later. The previous US stance, said Bruce Klingner of the Heritage Foundation, was that we dont deploy a president to negotiate a treaty, we deploy a president to sign a treaty where we know where every piece of punctuation is on that piece of paper. One of my worries is that we come out of this Singapore summit with something that looks remarkably like the Six Party Talks or anything that the president has previously criticized but it is hyped as something thats historic and new and groundbreaking, he added.The Norths official KCNA news agency called the summit historic, saying it would take place in a changed era and under the great attention and expectation of the whole world. AFP Kim would exchange wide-ranging and profound views on issues including building a permanent and durable peacekeeping mechanism on the Korean peninsula and realizing the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula, it added. It formally referred to Trump by his full name in the Monday report, including his middle initial -- the first time it has done so. Kims sister and close aide Kim Yo Jong is also in Singapore and is believed to have traveled separately on the aging Soviet-made Ilyushin-62 that is the leaders personal aircraft.Loud and clear. Filipino fisherfolk and members of the militant Akbayan gather in front of the Chinese Embassy in Makati City under a cloudy sky on the eve of Philippine Independence Day to protest the recent incidents involving Chinese and local fishermen in Scarborough Shoal. Norman Cruz

The Philippines on Monday demanded that China stop confiscating the catch of Filipino fishermen in the disputed South China Sea, calling the practice unacceptable. The remarks by President Rodrigo Dutertes spokesman were a rare public rebuke from Manila, which has taken a non-confrontational approach with Beijing over the resource-rich waterway. China controls several reefs in the sea including Scarborough Shoal, which Beijing seized from Manila in 2012 and which is just 230 kilometers from Luzon. China claims almost the entire resource-rich sea, through which $5 trillion in trade passes annually, despite competing for partial claims from Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Vietnam. Dutertes spokesman Harry Roque on Monday confirmed a report that Chinese Coast Guard personnel seized the catch of Filipino fishermen in the shoal in May in violation of an agreement between the two nations allowing Filipinos to fish there. We have addressed this issue to the Chinese and we are demanding that the Chinese take steps to stop the coast guard from doing these acts, Roque told reporters. That is unacceptable. That is why we informed the Chinese we will not allow fish to be taken from our countrymen. The Chinese Embassy in Manila did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Dutertes administration rejects criticism that its response to Chinese activities in the hotly contested waters has been weak. China in May reportedly deployed anti-ship cruise missiles and surface-to-air missiles on the Spratly Islands and flew nuclear-capable bombers to a base in another disputed part of the sea. Dutertes aides have said previously the Philippines is taking all diplomatic action to protect its claims while insisting it would not anger China by engaging in megaphone diplomacy. Manila, which has pursued trade deals and investment from China, instead holds regular talks with Beijing on the dispute. On Monday Roque refused to describe the latest incident as harassment, adding the Chinese Coast Guard gave the Filipino fishermen noodles, cigarettes, and water in exchange for their catch. The fishermen, who appeared with Roque in the news briefing, said they were powerless to stop repeated seizures by the Chinese. The [Chinese Coast Guard personnel] board our boats, look at where we store the fish and take the best ones. We cannot do anything because their huge vessels are there, said Romel Cejuela, one of the fishermen. He said the fish taken from them by the Chinese Coastguard was worth P4,000. Roque said the incident was considered unacceptable and there is a need for China to discipline its erring personnel. He said President Duterte and Chinese President Xi Jingping had agreed when the two leaders met that Filipino fishermen can fish in the disputed region. Without the President ordering [it], [Foreign] Secretary Alan Cayetano on his own has relayed the information to Ambassador Zhao, and this was divulged publicly, Roque said., Roque said he was present when Cayetano informed Zhao of the incident in an event that marked the 43rd anniversary of the establishment of the bilateral ties between the Philippines and China. Zhao assured the Philippine government that it will investigate the alleged confiscation by the Chinese Coast Guard of the fish caught by small Filipino [fishermen], Roque said. The Philippine government will be relying on the word of Chinese President Xi that the Chinese government will not harass Filipino fishermen in the West Philippine Sea, he added. Scarborough Shoal is located 124 nautical miles from Zambales and falls within the 200-nautical mile Exclusive Economic Zone of the Philippines. This means that while other countries have freedom of navigation, only the Philippines has sovereign rights over the maritime resources in Scarborough Shoal. The international Permanent Court of Arbitrations 2016 ruling nullified Chinas historical claims over the island. China has since rejected the decision and continues to patrol the area.Senate President Vicente Sotto III said the government must exhaust all possible diplomatic means to settle the issue. In a text message to reporters, Sotto noted that the President is the architect of our foreign policy. We are no longer United States-focused. We are now gearing towards friendly ties with all nations, said Sotto.He noted that we became the target of Japan during the Second World War due to our friendship with the US. The same day the Pearl Harbor was bombed by the Japanese, it was also the same day the Japanese bombed Baguio and Clark. Almost 1 million died in that war. They fought within our backyard, he said. Sotto also appealed to the media not to swallow everything the doomsayers say. Senator Paolo Benigno Aquino IV said if Malacanang will not side with the Filipino people on this issue, then the Senate can take the lead in defending the country. Aquino lamented that China continues to harass our fishermen, militarize the seas and threaten the countrys sovereignty. He said a strong and independent Senate can and should investigate all the countrys dealings with China, especially when the rights and livelihood of Filipinos are at risk. If continued, this defeatist mentality will just lead to even more abuses, he said of the administrations soft approach toward China. The Liberal Party has slammed the Duterte administration for again taking an apathetic stance on the harassment and theft by Chinese coast guard instead of filing a protest. It said this was made worse by the government-sponsored troll machinery that attacked the hapless fishermen and painted them as liars. For these fishermen to be called liars and paid hacks by internet trolls is something so outrageous, said the Liberal Party. The partys vice president Erin Tanada said fishermen in the country live a hand-to-mouth existence with little help from the government. Abused by the Chinese in the high seas, he noted that these fishermen were left without their catch and now attacked by their own governments propaganda machinery. These Filipino fishermen can expect nothing from a morally bankrupt administration, led by the President and his spokesman, Harry Roque, who are both China fanatics, he said. Its clear that China violated the rules in the traditional fishing grounds. The Duterte administration should show it is not a pushover and take action to protect the interest of the Filipino fishermen, he further stated, Senator Gregorio Honasan underscored the need to verify and discuss internally Magdalo Party-list Rep. Gary Alejanos claim that Malacanang has ordered the military to stop patrolling the West Philippine Sea. He said Alejanos claim, which he said came from a high-ranking official of the military, should be verified and coordinated with authorities. A leftist lawmaker on Monday called on the administration to take concrete action to protect Filipino fishermen from harassment and illegal confiscation of their catch. The video that caught Chinese Coast Guards boarding a fishing boat and taking the catch of Filipino fishers not only stirs anger but is also heartbreaking due to the failure of the Duterte administration to protect our fisherfolk from constant harassment and the extortion spree of the Chinese against our fishermen, Anakpawis Party-list Rep. Ariel Casilao said. He said the incident was caught on video inside the Philippines Exclusive Economic Zone in Bajo de Masinloc near Zambales. The video showed Chinese Coast Guards board up a Filipino fishing boat, rummage the boxes containing the catch of the poor fishers and take away some without permission. While the government allowed a Peoples Liberation Army aircraft to refuel in Davao City, China repeatedly violates the rights of our fisher folks freedom of movement, depriving them of their sources of livelihood. These acts should be condemned. No self-respecting government would allow such demeaning and insulting acts against its citizens, he added. Alejano on Monday denied Cayetanos claim that the country did not lose control of Sandy Cay to China. Sandy Cay has been in positive control of China since last year, Alejano said. He said his source told him that Chinese ships have been permanently stationed near Sandy Cay, and challenged Cayetano to go with him to the area to know the situation firsthand. If Secretary Cayetano has strong belief that indeed we still control Sandy Cay, I challenge him for us to go there together with members of the media as witnesses. If we are not harassed or shooed away by the Chinese Coast Guard or the Peoples Liberation Army Navy, then I will believe him, Alejano said. Alejano also slammed Cayetanos accusations of spreading fake news regarding the patrols in the West Philippine Sea. My question to Secretary Cayetano is who has a history of lying to the public? Secretary Cayetano should take note that I have wide intelligence network even in his own department. He should get his script right, Alejano said in a mix of English and Filipino. All the information on the West Philippine Sea that I have revealed so far in the public were later either confirmed by events on the ground or by independent monitoring of various concerned organizations. I do not invent stories, he added. He stood by his statement that the Place had ordered the AFP to stop conducting patrols in the West Philippine Sea. I am 100 percent sure on the information I received. It was relayed to me personally by a source which has the authority to say that, he said.TokyoJapanese officials criticized Russia on Monday for its plans to lay fiber-optic cables to the islands disputed by Tokyo and Moscow, calling the construction work deplorable and without legal basis. Ties between Japan and Russia have been strained for decades over the four islands, which were occupied by the Soviet Union in the closing days of World War II but are claimed by Tokyo. They are known in Japan as the Northern Territories and in Russia as the Southern Kurils. It is extremely deplorable that such a project is being carried out under the Russian occupation that has no legal basis, government spokesman Yoshihide Suga told reporters The Japanese Sankei Shimbun newspaper reported over the weekend that Russia plans to lay the cables between the disputed islands and Russias Pacific island of Sakhalin. The newspaper said Moscow had notified Tokyo of the project, which will be implemented by Chinese company Huawei Technologies.Weve lodged protests via diplomatic routes with Russia and China, Suga said, adding that Japan will patiently negotiate with Russia. The dispute over the islands has prevented the two countries from signing a peace treaty to formally end wartime hostilities. A visit by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to Russia last month yielded no movement on the issue. Strategically, control of the islands ensures Russia has year-round access to the Pacific Ocean for its Pacific Fleet of warships and submarines based in Vladivostok, through a strait that does not freeze over in winter.I write this column while preparing for a presentation I am giving in the San Carlos Seminary this week. The original title of the talk, something I deliver almost weekly to audiences all over the Philippines, was Responding to Dutertes Philippines: Issues, Options, and Scenarios. But on Sunday Fr. Richmond Nilo of the Diocese of Cabanatuan, an alumnus of this Makati seminary that has educated many of our bishops and priests, was shot and killed while about to celebrate the Eucharist in Zaragoza, Nueva Ecija. Surely, I cant come before my audience with a policy-wonkish lecture, pretending that everything is well in the country. The new title of my national situation briefing is: Is Dutertes Philippines heaven or hell? Depending on the audience, I cover a range of topics and highlight different matters in these presentationsfrom the economy to foreign policy to human rights, etc. Lately, I have been talking more about constitutional change and federalism. Since I have been doing these national situation briefings, I have labored to be objective and independent, non-partisan for sure, even as I have not compromised my views on basic principles like human rights, social justice, and democracy. But I have always tried to be fair, making mime and putting on the shoes of the protagonists in our country (Duterte, his supporters, the opposition) as it were, and using their words so they can speak for themselves. Repeating the words of the President and showing his actions, and repeating the words of his spokesperson and his supporters (collectively described here as the Diehard Duterte Supporters or DDS), are the best way to understand this President and those who support him. For some, and that includes me, they are painful to listen to, and difficult to watch. But Digong Duterte is our President and his supporters, who do not find his words and actions objectionable at all but revel in what they consider as his humor and trolling of his critics, are our countrymen. In my case those supporters are my relatives, townmates, fellow Mindanawons, classmates, and friends, not to mention Facebook and Twitter followers. I will certainly not break with them over politics. But the truth must be told. An acute state of impunity is upon us, wrecking havoc in our communities and the killers in our midst has gone berserk, to paraphrase Bayan Muna Rep. Carlos Zarate. I knew Fr. Richmond personally. He was our partner when he was president of the College of Immaculate Concepcion of Cabanatuan City and I was dean of the Ateneo School of Government. We implemented together a Master in Public Management program and collaborated on Gawad Kalinga projects in Nueva Ecija. He was a good priest, a great Filipino, and a wonderful human being. The Church, the faithful, the people of Nueva Ecija, and the country lost a good man in Fr. Nilo as we did with Fr. Mark Ventura and Fr. Marcelito Paez a few months ago. Unfortunately, Fr. Nilo will not be the last priest that will be murdered. Its killing season against priests as it is with lawyers and the poor, as it has been for many years now with journalists and activists. As always, it starts first with words and curses, threats from the powerful but quickly it escalates to shootings and massacres as some of those who hear the words understand them as orders to be heeded. With still another priest killed while about to celebrate the Eucharist, a killing season of Gods servants is on. It is not a coincidence that the killing season of priests is happening in the Year of the Clergy and Consecrated Persons. One can only be consoled that the history of the Christian faith has only been enriched by its martyrs. In my usual national situation briefing, I am objective enough to look at the pros and cons of the Duterte governments actions and decisions. While strongly opposing, among others, the massacre of the poor in the war against drugs, the persecution of Senators De Lima and Chief Justice Sereno which has undermined the rule of law in our country, the misogyny of the President, and the failure to defend our national territory from Chinese intrusions, I am on the other hand generally supportive of TRAIN, Build Build Build, the Boracay clean up, the enactment of the Bangsamoro Basic Law, the peace negotiation with the communists, and the work of the Constitutional Law Committee. And so are we in heaven, the best years ever for this country, as the DDS would like to portray? Or are we in hell now, bound to suffer for four more years?We are in neither. We are, like it or not, on earth. And believe it or not, things could get worse, much worse. Many more priests, lawyers, journalist, activists, poor people, etc could get killed. We could descend in chaos very quickly. We could be fighting each other in the streets, leaving our social media enclaves, abandoning words and curses, and using guns and knives this time to settle scores. It has only been because of the grace of God that Edsa 1, 2 and 3 did not explode into extended violence. Or we could take a deep breath, understand what we are faced with, discern our options, and act decisively. What we are faced with is political and legal anomie, where the old rules no longer apply and there are no new rules. Only power seem to matter in a time like this. Law is useless because it will be bent, twisted by those who hold power. But this is a temporary state. But how fast we can get out of here will depend on how we respond individually, as families, and as communities of faith, values, work, and practice. It will depend on those good people in government, and no doubt there are many of them that I continue to work with, whether they can use their power always for the good, never abusing it for their benefit and to oppress others. It will depend on the private sector, whether they will acquiesce, permanently wave a flag of surrender, afraid that they might be targeted next. They would also have to reach out to their workers, in solidarity in this time of economic challenges. It will depend on the youth and all citizens actually, whether they are willing to take risks and carry on the strong tradition of protests we are known for. A sine qua non for that is unity among all groups based on shared commitments to human rights, democracy, and social justice. Personally, as one of its convenors, I am joining the Manananggol Laban sa Extra Judicial Killing (Manlaban) delegations in mobilizations. We will be there in full force this afternoon in the HINDIpendence Day in Liwasang Bonifacio. It depends on the opposition and our other politicians. Can they rise up to the occasion and give us an alternative to Dutertes Philippines? It depends on the Catholic Church and other religious communities in the country. Can they give us the moral leadership by speaking truth to power and providing sanctuary, support, and guidance to those who would take the lead in leading us out of an earth that is more hell to one that is more heaven? Surely, our bishops can influence the manner we conduct our national discourse and enable us to have a better dialogue with each other. Once again, lets remember as we celebrate Independence Day, it depends on each of us what kind of country we want to live in. In her book Stitches, Anne Lamott, quoting a Pastor Veronica, tells the story of a sparrow lying in the street with its legs straight up in the air, straining. a warhorse walks up to it, and says, What on earth are you doing? The sparrow replies, I heard the sky was falling, and I wanted to help. The warhorse sneersDo you really think youre going to hold back the sky, with those scrawny little legs? And the sparrow says, One does what one can. Lets all do this, through action and prayerto make our country a better place, for there to be more kindness, for justice and peace to reign. We should know that it will not be because of our efforts mainly that will get us there. Still, one does what one can. Facebook: tonylavs Twitter: tonylavsA criminal fire destroyed Sunday in capital Bagdad part of the site where May elections ballot boxes have been kept, in the wake of the parliaments demand for manual recount of votes nation-wide.

A wing of the ministry of trade used as warehouse of May elections ballot boxes caught fire. Outgoing Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi condemned the arson that he argued was a plot aimed at Iraqs democracy.

Burning election warehouses  is a plot to harm the nation and its democracy. We will take all necessary measures and strike with an iron fist all who undermine the security of the nation and its citizens, he said in a statement.

The interior ministry said the fire only destroyed one of the four sections of the sites. The other three where the ballot boxes have been kept were untouched. The fire was contained by fight fighters.

Prime Minister al-Abadi announced investigations into the causes of the mishap.

The incident occurred following demand by the parliament early last week for the manual recount of the ballot papers. Al-Abadi on Tuesday said the elections were marred by grave irregularity.

The elections which registered a very low turnout were won by famous Shia and nationalist Cleric Moqtada al-Sadrs bloc. Al-Abadis bloc finished third according to the results given by the independent elections commission.

The parliaments mandate sheds doubt on Sadrs win with many analysts predicting the country could descend into conflict.

Following the fire, voices called for a re-run, Reuters reports.

The crime of burning ballot-box storage warehouses in the Rusafa area is a deliberate act, a planned crime, aimed at hiding instances of fraud and manipulation of votes, lying to the Iraqi people and changing their will and choices, Salim al-Jabouri, the outgoing speaker of parliament said.

The parliamentarian has been opposed to the recount. He lost his seat in May, Reuters notes.

Sadrs bloc and other alliances which did well during the elections have been opposed to the parliaments request. They also condemned the fire.

Whoever burned the election equipment and document storage site had two goals: either cancelling the election or destroying the stuffed ballots counted amongst the results, said Dhiaa al-Asadi, Sadrs top aid.A group of 28 individuals has been referred to a criminal court after being accused for plotting to topple the current government.

The men, according Chief prosecutor Nabil Sadek, formed an illegal group called The Egyptian Council for Change, to incite against the state and its institutions. They are also accused of spreading false news inside the country and abroad.

Nine of the suspects have been held in custody. The date for trial has not been set yet, the Associated Press reports.

The new arrests slot in a wide spread crackdown on activists including critics of President Fattah al-Sisi.

The Egyptian President has been running the country with an iron fist since ascending to power in 2013 in a coup, a year prior to his election as countrys president.

The regime has clamped down on the Muslim Brotherhood and arrested thousands of critics while forcing some into exile.The office of the Turkish President has slammed Austrian authorities move to close down seven mosques allegedly receiving foreign funding and to expulse 60 imams among whom several Turkish nationals.

Austrias decision to close down seven mosques and deport imams with a lame excuse is a reflection of the anti-Islam, racist and discriminatory populist wave in this country, Ibrahim Kalin, a spokesperson for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Twitter.

It is an attempt to target Muslim communities for the sake of scoring cheap political points.

The Austria government Friday announced at a press conference its move to shut down seven mosques that it believes receive foreign funding and spread political Islam. The decision targets mosques run by the Turkish-Islamic Cultural Association and the Arab Religious Community. The latter will also be dissolved as part of the decision.

Interior minister Herbert Kickl of the far-right Freedom Party indicated that more than 150 people including 60 imams will be expelled.

Kickl was seconded in his actions by the countrys Chancellor Sebastian Kurz who stressed Austria will not accept Parallel societies, political Islam and radicalization.

The right wing and far right coalition government took aim at the mosques following the publication by an Austrian magazine of images showing young boys at a Vienna mosque  which is due to be closed  wearing camouflage uniforms, saluting, marching and waving the Turkish flag, reports say.

The scenes were sketches of the Battle of Gallipoli during the First World War, when Ottoman troops fought off a UK-led offensive on Turkish shores.

Tensions have raised between Ankara and Vienna since July 2016 in the wake of the failed coup against Erdogan. Austrian authorities have been very critical of Erdogans alleged Islamic policy. They also prevented Erdogan-linked authorities from holding campaigns in the Turkish diaspora in the framework of April 2017 referendum.Saudi Arabia, United Arabs Emirates and Kuwait have pledged a $2.5 billion aid package to protests-hit Jordan, while the European Union announced a 20 million support to the Jordanian troubled economy.

Saudi Arabia convened Sunday in Mecca an emergency Gulf summit over the social crisis in Jordan. Also in attendance, King Abdallah II received the support of Riyadh, Abu Dhabi and Kuwait City after the three approved to release an aid package worth $2.5 billion.

The package, reports notes, will include a deposit in the Jordanian central bank, World Bank guarantees, budgetary support over five years and financing for development projects.

The summit was called following a week-long social protests sparked by governments decision to apply taxes on incomes in addition to already hiking commodities prices.

The protests forced the countrys Prime Minister Hani al-Mulki to resign last Monday (May 4). He was replaced the following day by cabinet member Omar al-Razzaz who headed the education department.

The countrys retired army leaders criticized al-Razzazs appointment by the king over claims that he does not suit the job.

Also on Sunday, the EU announced it will support the Middle East countrys economy with 20 million ($23.5 million).

Head of EUs foreign policy Federica Mogherini at a press conference in Amman noted that Jordan needs economic support while pledging EUs continued backing.

The 20 million amount will be used to complete projects for vulnerable populations of the kingdom which has received millions of Syrian refugees.

The Middle East country, which has implemented austerity measures and removed government subsidies on several basic commodities, contracted a $723-million loan from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in 2016.

The World Bank predicts weak growth prospects for this year. Budget deficit for the year 2018 has been put at $1.753 billion.Morocco and Nigeria signed Sunday in Rabat cooperation agreements related to the pipeline project, a fertilizer plant in Nigeria and agricultural vocational training.

The signing ceremony of the three agreements was co-chaired by King Mohammed VI and visiting President Muhammadu Buhari.

The two countries agreed to the pipeline in December 2016 and launched feasibility studies leading to a plan to build the pipeline onshore and offshore in phases.

As the 5,660 KM-long pipeline, to pump gas from Nigeria up to Morocco, will cross several African countries, Morocco and Nigeria will launch a front-end engineering design (Feed) to involve countries that will be crossed by the pipeline in the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

This phase includes assessment of the financial cost of this project, which will enhance regional economic integration, help West African countries meet their energy needs and supply Europe with Nigerian gas.

Nigeria, Africas biggest oil exporter, has huge untapped gas resources, while Morocco has the worlds largest phosphate reserves.

During the ceremony, Moroccos State-owned company, OCP, signed an agreement with Nigerias Sovereign Investment Authority to build an industrial platform for the production of ammonia and derivatives.

Under another agreement also signed Sunday, Morocco will offer Nigerians agricultural professional training and technical supervision.

While in Morocco, President Buhari had private talks with King Mohammed VI who hosted an Iftar (breaking Ramadan fast) in honor of his African guest.

The Nigerian President also visited the Mohammed VI Institute for the Training of Imams, Murshideen and Murshidat (male and female preachers).

Set up in 2015, the Institute provides training to hundreds of students from Morocco, sub-Saharan Africa, and some European countries. This leading center seeks to inculcate in Imams the precepts of a tolerant and non-violent form of Islam based on Maliki rite and teach them how to fight extremism and religious radicalization through sound argumentation and dialog.

Morocco has been providing, for many years if not for centuries, training to foreign Islamic scholars and imams, mainly from sub-Saharan Africa, in order to disseminate an Islam of the middle path doctrine, a vision of religion based on tolerance, intercultural dialogue and respect of other faiths.Foreign Ministry of Belarus hosts meeting with the participants of the forum Youth leadership: a modern view

11-06-2018

On June 11, 2018 Ministry of Foreign Affairs hosted a traditional meeting with the participants of the forum Youth leadership: a modern view, organized by the National Childrens Educational and Health Center Zubrenok.

Laureates of the Special Fund of the President of Belarus for support of talented youth, as well as students who achieved significant success in various activities aged 14-16 attended the event.

The Head of Directorate General for Multilateral Diplomacy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Larisa Belskaya, informed on the international cooperation in the field of protection and promotion of childrens rights, and Belarus initiatives to support young people on the international arena. L.Belskaya dwelled on the role of youth in achieving by Belarus the Sustainable Development Goals, which are to be implemented by 2030.

The representative of the United Nations Childrens Fund (UNICEF) in the Republic of Belarus, Rashed Sarwar, attended the event as a special guest.

   

print versionMills is a radiologic technologist at Okolona Medical Clinic, where she has worked since 2001. She is a graduate of Hatley High School and received her radiologic technology degree from Itawamba Community College.Bean works at Chickasaw Medical Clinic, where she has served since July 2016. She is a graduate of Amory High School and attended Itawamba Community College. She is a certified LPN and is a certified CPR instructor.

Lori always shows compassion to each and every patient, said a coworker who nominated Mills. She is willing to go above and beyond for the needs of our patients. She helps out in other areas of the clinic when she can. Patients love her and she is a great asset to our team. She is one of the hardest workers I have ever known.

She and her husband, Joey, have been married for 20 years and have one 13-year-old daughter, Chloe Brooke, and one 14-year-old son, Colby. They attend New Hope Church of Christ in Amory.

I love laughing along with my patients as I am taking care of them, Mills said.Ron DeSantis listens to a voter after posing for a photo on a motorcycle at a campaign event in Pensacola. | Emily L. Mahoney, Times

If it wasn't clear by now, Congressmen Matt Gaetz and Ron DeSantis have been making it crystal that the Republican primary in the race for Florida's governor will be a test of President Trump's popularity in the nation's largest swing state.

The Freedom Caucus duo, called "warriors" by Trump, appeared in a handful of Panhandle campaign stops on Saturday as Gaetz runs for reelection and DeSantis makes his bid for governor against Commissioner of Agriculture Adam Putnam.

Before introducing DeSantis, Gaetz made sure the crowd knew that Putnam was late to join Team Trump, ticking it off as "the first reason" why voters shouldn't check the box next to his name in August.

"After Ted Cruz had dropped out of the race, we needed Republicans to come together and rally behind our president," Gaetz said to the roughly 50 people in attendance in Pensacola. "So many of you were making handmade signs and going to rallies and supporting Donald Trump. Adam Putnam said, 'I'll have to wait until after the convention.'"

The two sang the president's praises constantly, telling the friendly crowd about their conversations with Trump on Air Force One to familiar shouts from the audience like "Lock her up!" and "Build the wall!" as if it were a 2016 rally.

Putnam, who has campaigned in many small towns, has criticized DeSantis in the past for trying to "dial it in from an out-of-state TV studio," referring to his many Fox News appearances.

On Saturday, DeSantis touched on a mixture of both the federal issues that have won him his regular Fox News slot as well as some state topics, as he transitions to straddle both worlds.

On the issue of the special counsel, Trump tweeted a week ago that it is "totally UNCONSTITUTIONAL!" DeSantis, speaking to reporters after the event, disagreed with the mechanics but not the sentiment.

"Less so much unconstitutional, if you look at (Deputy Attorney General Rod) Rosenstein's appointing order in May, he did not follow Justice Department guidelines," he said. "I'm not a fan of how Mueller has done it but the original sin is Rosenstein. He superimposed a criminal prosecutor on a counterintelligence investigation and basically said, 'Just find something.'"

On state issues, DeSantis and Gaetz both said they are confident that Florida has an "exemption" from Trump's expansion of offshore oil drilling. A back-and-forth drama ensued earlier this year when Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke publicly announced with Gov. Rick Scott that Florida was off the table, then later said the state was "still in the process."

"I'm not for oil drilling off Florida,"DeSantis said. "I've told the president that. He's going to give Florida the exemption from that. I have no worries about that."

On guns: the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Act, enacted after 17 students and teachers were killed at the Parkland school in February, was a controversial package of gun rights restrictions and school safety measures that included raising the firearm purchasing age in Florida to 21, banning bump stocks and allowing police to temporarily take guns away from someone they suspect to be mentally unstable.

In recent days, the National Rifle Association has been surveying politicians, asking if they would vote to repeal parts of that new law. It sued Florida immediately after the law passed, as did a separate group of gun owners.

DeSantis offered light criticism of the statute.

"Some folks here had some concerns about when you have blanket restrictions," he said of the event attendees in Pensacola. "Some of those are caught up in the courts and I think you have some live arguments as to why some of those may not pass muster."

Finally, on medical marijuana: last week, Leon County Circuit Judge Karen Gievers gave the state until June 11 to put into action a process that will make smoke-able marijuana available to patients at marijuana dispensaries throughout the state.

DeSantis said the state needs to stop "playing games" and put in place what voters intended.

Florida voters approved medical marijuana via a ballot initiative, but the state has been locked in a legal battle after lawmakers limited its scope by only allowing oils, sprays, tinctures, vaping and edibles, arguing that smoking would lead to a "back door" for recreational use.

"I'm going to implement what the voters wanted to do faithfully and reasonably," DeSantis said.For picture posts from 2010 and earlier, see the Earlier Picture Posts PagePetra Yolanda Sonia Bockle is a rising rap star and one of the most promising femcees out of Kenya. Her raw and hard-hitting rap style has seen her get likened to Americas Cardi B.

She is currently riding high on her most recent release  I Got That  featuring Victoria Kimani. Before I Got That, Petra killed it on the Khali Cartel and Rider alongside Khaligraph Jones.

She describes herself as an international rapper and says things are going well towards achieving this.

Why did you take a break from music?

I was focusing on family, my pregnancy and my marriage, and also to plan my career. You will find out that most artistes do not have a long-term plan. That is why I took time away and, as you can see, it is working out for me.

You came back with several collabos, why was that?

It was part of my plan. I was out of the music scene for a while and the last time people heard or saw me, I was everywhere. They liked and appreciated what I was doing. In order for me to really make a comeback, my PR team thought a collabo with well-known artistes would help.

Are you signed to anyone at the moment?

No, but plans are underway. On my next project, I have people who are going to be funding everything.

You quit Taurus Music and they threatened to sue you, what happened and are you in talking terms now?

We are good now. We are like family. I do not believe in having grudges with anyone; we are all human beings and we are all in this world for a purpose. I do not see why one human would hate another for a small misunderstanding. Taurus are actually helping me out in promoting my work. I do not want to get to the part of why I quit and if I paid because that is what caused the whole friction between us.

You and Khaligraph go way back and Rider was not the first collabo with him. What is the difference between working with him now and when you first collaborated?

Khaligraph and I have known each other for a while. When I got married and started focusing on my personal life, we lost touch.

Rider is much more serious compared to our first song Kungangana. In the first collabo we just hit the studio and dropped some lines; the vibe was casual and we were just having fun. But this time it was all about work.

The Rider video had many people talking, what made you eat raw liver and did you deworm after?

It was the director who came up with the whole concept of the liver. Controversy sells, so we wanted to have an interesting video. Videos have to be interesting in order for someone to like them. No one got sick after and no, I did not deworm.

The Kenyan rap industry is blowing up, where can you rate yourself among the female emcees?

I rank myself at an international level and that is where Im working towards. Things are going well. Let me not cartegorise and just say a rapper is a rapper. When we dropped Rider, I was judged as a rapper and not a female emcee. Unfortunately, in Kenya most emcees do not take it seriously.

Rap is not about beef. If they take it seriously, rap can pay your bills. People here like to beef and yet they lack talent. You must have that talent to rap and be categorised as one. I have never called myself a rap queen or an empress, my fans do that.

So do you say that Kenyan female rappers do not have talent?

Im not a local brand and that is how I have set my mentality. Everything I do I want it to be perfect. Im a perfectionist.

Given a chance, which female emcee in Kenya would you collabo with?

Right now I wouldnt mind working with any of them. I believe that at the end of the day, everyone has their own standard.

You do not sing much about Coast in your songs, why?

I did a song called Tuko Chonjo Mwanagu. I have so many coming and I dont have to keep mentioning where I come from every time I sing. At the end of the day I am an artiste and I express myself the way I know best.

How is the talent in Coast?

Unlike Nairobi, Mombasa community is not as open. They are more enclosed and tend to keep to themselves. I started from there and I do not think there is anyone from Coast who is on the same level as I am right now. Having been exposed, I will try my best and see what I can do to help them grow.

Do you think the industry has changed since the days you started?

I believe that back-in-the-day it was much better. I wish I was serious when I started out because, when you look at the industry now, everyone wants to be an artiste. You will find most of the artistes now do not have any talent but they have connections. People with talent and no connections will be sidelined, and the ones with connections will get the opportunities.

As a mother, do you allow your child to watch your videos?

No, obviously not. But when you check my videos they are labelled  that it is explicit and it is meant for adults only. But I have both versions for those who are underage to watch.

Speaking of children, any plans to add more?

No, not for now.

Whats next for you then?

Im more focused on my singles and some international collabos coming soon. An album will have to wait. I have a collabo with a Tanzanian artiste coming out soon.

A Nigerian collabo is also in the works and a Chinese, American and European too. Watch this space.One-Year MBA students travelled to Bogota, Columbia to learn about business in an emerging economy, and had fun along the way.

The challenges of global business go well beyond language barriers. To create lasting, authentic partnerships, one must embrace culture, history, and societal norms.

Even standing in line for a cup of coffee can offer the chance to learn.

One of the most notable differences is personal space, says Arturo Gonzalez Jr. 19MBA, who recently returned from a class trip to Brazil. We take it for granted in the United States. In Brazil, it is not uncommon for a stranger to stand inches behind you in line or for a local pedestrian to sit right next to you. Our professors made us aware the culture was more intimate than it is the US, but it was still a surprise when it happened.

Exposure like this brings a new level of awareness that is at the heart of an effective business education.

At Goizueta, gaining global perspective comes in many forms. Students in every degree program spend hours poring over cases, listening to lectures, and learning the skills necessary to navigate an increasingly complicated and ambiguous world. Additionally, there are more informal ways to gain cultural awareness, such as by gleaning insights from fellow students sitting beside you or on teams.

For instance, 17 percent of the current Class of 2021 at Emory University are international students representing 39 countries. Plus, each year Goizueta welcomes nearly 100 exchange students into the undergraduate program. More than 20 enter the MBA programs along with 31 international company-sponsored students, primarily from Japan, Korea, and Colombia. This type of multinational mix at a school that values team-based learning ensures a high level of interaction and exposure for the entire student body.23:53

Railway Minister Piyush Goyal today said safety was the first priority of the national transporter and that passengers were well aware why trains were getting delayed.





At a press conference, highlighting the achievements of his ministry, Goyal said the railways had registered its best ever safety record in 2017-18 with consequential train accidents reduced to 62 per cent -- from 118 in 2013-14 to 73 in 2017-18.





"Maintenance of the tracks, which was due for decades, is causing train delays. The passengers are well aware why the trains are getting delayed and they know that the Indian Railways is getting future-ready. Everyone knows what we have received in inheritance," he said.





Lashing out at the previous United Progressive Alliance government, the Bharatiya Janata Party leader said while former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee had announced the Rail Safety Fund in 2003-04, it was not considered for 10 years, due to which an unsafe railways was passed on to the present government.





Stating that the average annual capital expenditure in the rail sector in the last four years was more than double the average of what it was during 2009-2014, he said there was a 59-per cent increase in the average pace of commissioning new lines -- from 4.1 km (2009-14) to 6.53 km per day (2014-18).





Goyal also pointed out that in 2017-18, about 5,000 km of railway tracks were renewed.





In six-seven years, the railways aimed at doubling its income to become 'self-reliant', he said, adding that the national transporter had provided free wi-fi services at over 675 stations and it planned to extend the service to over 6,000 more stations.





The minister also said the railways had embarked on transitioning to sustainable rail transportation with a six-time increase in electrification -- from 610 RKM in 2013-14 to 4,087 RKM in 2017-18.





It had recorded the highest ever freight-loading of 1,162 MT in 2017-18 and 1,107 MT in 2016-17 and the freight earnings had also shot up, with a 12-per cent increase expected over the previous year, projected to be around Rs. 1.17 lakh crore in 2017-18, Goyal said. -- PTI

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Back to [RTHK News Homepage]A passenger car crashed into a supermarket in the city of Shibukawa, Gunma Prefecture, eastern Japan, on Sunday afternoon, injuring a total of 14 people including shoppers

None of the 14 people are in life-threatening conditions although five of them suffered serious injuries, such as a broken hip, according to the Gunma prefectural police department's Shibukawa station.

Around 3:55 p.m. (6:55 a.m. GMT), there was an emergency call to fire authorities reporting that a car plowed into the Torisen supermarket in the Miyukida district in the city.

The police arrested Katsuto Yajima, the 55-year-old driver of the car, at the accident scene for alleged negligent driving resulting in injuries. Yajima told the police that he hit the gas pedal hard as he felt numbness in the right side of his body.

According to sources including the police, Yajima's car ran into the supermarket through its glass entrance. After traveling about 15 meters inside the store, the car hit a shelf and stopped.

1455This item is available in full to subscribers.

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Otherwise, click here to view your options for subscribing.A California high school valedictorian's speech was cut short when she started talking about being sexually assaulted.

Petaluma High School senior Lulabel Seitz was the first member of her family to graduate high school and did so as her class' valedictorian, The (Santa Rosa, Calif.) Press Democratreported. In the expanded version, she said students hadn't let it drag them down when some on campus defended perpetrators of sexual violence and silenced their victims.

Even before graduation, Seitz said officials from the school were putting pressure on her to avoid any mention of the alleged assaults. "We have all achieved unlikely dreams". Then, her mic was purposefully cut off.

The San Francisco Chronicle reports that the school's principal, David Stirrat, stands by the decision, saying, "We were trying to make sure our graduation ceremony was appropriate and lovely".

"They just told me to not talk about it because it wouldn't help", she told CNN a week after the graduation ceremony.

She noted that the school had weathered a teacher's strike and closures during the fires that raged last fall in Sonoma County, which she said had claimed some students' homes. Even after four years of working our hardest and becoming the best class Petaluma High has ever seen, just to be told be those same some people that our love of learning, art, drama, music - anything - wasn't valuable enough to be funded, well, we didn't let that drag us down either.

According to Seitz, "they do this a lot, they make students be quiet", whenever anyone is openly critical of the school. "This is for my class that stood up and said 'let her speak.' Even if the administration doesn't give me a mic, I still want to speak". "It wasn't easy thing to do to get up there and say what I said - or tried to say".

"We're all celebrating us leaving, you know?"

Stirrat said the students were welcome to include potentially controversial material in their speeches.

The school's assistant principal told the teen "the expectation is that the speech you submitted is the speech you will give", the Press Democrat reported.

"In Lulabel's case, her approved speech didn't include any reference to an assault", David Stirrat told The Washington Post. "We certainly would have considered such an addition, provided no individuals were named or defamed", he said.

In a statement, the school district's assistant superintendent said, "Due to student privacy issues, we can not and should not respond with specific information".

'A public school is a state run institution and funded by the federal government.

The school district said Thursday that "due to privacy issues", it can't respond publicly to the allegations, ABC 7 reported. She talks about being the granddaughter of immigrants to the USA from the Philippines, and being raised by a single mom. The video, which shows the moment she was cut off while speaking at graduation, had been viewed more than 45,000 times as of Saturday afternoon.US President Donald Trump said on Monday his historic summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Singapore could "work out very nicely" as officials from both countries sought to narrow differences on how to end a nuclear stand-off on the Korean peninsula.

Whatever complications may arise after the summit, both sides seem eager to stage a smiling photo of the historic handshake. The official wasn't authorized to discuss the plans and insisted on anonymity.

It's "a sign of recognition that the North Koreans have sought for decades". Trump had earlier tweeted about the "excitement in the air!"

Kim's ventures in Singapore come ahead of Tuesday's historic summit with President Trump, which will be the first meeting between a sitting US president and a North Korean leader. They'll later allows their teams to join them.

Those points were echoed in Monday's media coverage, which stressed that the talks with Trump would be focused on forging a relationship that is more in tune with what it called changing times - most likely meaning the North's new status as a nuclear weapons state - its desire for a mechanism to ensure a lasting a durable peace on the Korean Peninsula and, finally, denuclearization.

Following the initial greeting, President Trump and Chairman Kim will participate in a one-on-one meeting, with translators only, an expanded bilateral meeting, and a working lunch.

After Mr. Trudeau's press conference, Mr. Trump said the steel tariffs were applied to Canada because of Canadian tariffs on USA dairy imports.

However, it now appears that the U.S.is confident tings are going smoothly. Delegates were outlining specific goals for what Trump and Kim should try to accomplish, and multiple scenarios for how key issues could be resolved.

Not all USA officials have joined Messrs. "Beijing would welcome the further relaxation of sanctions and North Korea's diplomatic isolation", the report says.

The US President arrived in Singapore last night aboard Air Force One, which landed at Paya Lebar Airbase.

He said on Thursday that he didn't think he had to prepare very much for the summit and that "it's about attitude".

"I'm glad to say that as of now, it's all systems go", he said.

Trump sounded a positive note in a lunch meeting with Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.

Pompeo, who shifted to his current role in the spring after serving as Trump's Central Intelligence Agency director, spent Monday morning preparing with his top advisers, aides said.

"Nevertheless, the improvement in ties between the U.S. and North Korea has at least made the possibility of a deal, which sees economic sanctions on North Korea being lifted, seem a little less far-fetched".

"North Korea's nuclear command, control, communications and intelligence is configured to promote a high degree of centralisation in Kim's decision-making, it beggars belief that Kim would not be within secure reach to authorise a possible launch if required", O'Neil added.

Trump, who has complained about the cost of those troops, might welcome the opportunity, though a troop withdrawal would also reinforce doubts about America's commitment to the Asia-Pacific region. He told reporters he thinks he will know nearly immediately whether a deal can be made, saying: "I will know, just my touch, my feel".

Armed police officers patrol outside the St. Regis hotel ahead of the U.S.

"The art of the deal is not just a title", he said, "it's a way at looking at life".

Trump has said that North Korea must decide to "denuke" or there will be no deal and economic pressure on the regime would only intensify.

Similar travel considerations are reportedly made whenever the North Korean leader conducts on-site inspections of military bases and state-run factories across the country.

The summit could also produce some sort of declaration - short of a formal treaty - about ending the Korean War, 65 years after the armistice.Soon, morphed versions of the photo started doing the rounds, majority infantilising Trump.

The European Union on Monday backed Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau after U.S. President Donald Trump branded him "dishonest" and "weak" following a Group of Seven summit of leaders.

Mr Trump had already threatened to divide the G7, made up of the US, France, UK, Italy, Germany, Japan and Canada, when he suggested Russian Federation should be allowed to rejoin the group.

President Trump tweeted Sunday night from Singapore attacking USA allies over the trade deficit.

His advisors hit the talk show circuit on Sunday in an attempt to convince viewers that Trump needed to show his strength ahead of his North Korea summit with Kim Jong Un.

Mr Trump, who left the summit in La Malbaie early to head for his talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, told reporters the United States needed protectionist tariffs because "we are like the piggy bank that everyone is robbing". "He really kinda stabbed us in the back", top USA economic advisor Larry Kudlow said of Trudeau on CNN.

"The whole tone of the bilateral rhetoric between Canada and the USA seems to have deteriorated quite significantly", he said.

"It is a historic negotiation and there is no way this president is not going to stand strong", Kudkow said on CBS' Face the Nation.

In a pointed criticism of Trump's policy, May said that the most effective way of reaping the benefits of globalisation was through multilateral action, adding: "It can not be done by taking unilateral action against your partners". "The non-factual part of this is - they have enormous tariffs", Kudlow said.

A Trudeau spokesman, Cameron Ahmad, said Saturday night that Trudeau "said nothing he hasn't said before - both in public and in private conversations" with Trump.

"PM Justin Trudeau of Canada acted so meek and mild during our @G7 meetings only to give a news conference after I left saying that, "US Tariffs were kind of insulting" and he "will not be pushed around".

Kudlow, the conservative economist who directs the National Economic Council, was upset with Trudeau's comments at a press conference after the contentious Group of 7 summit in Quebec.

"I have made it clear to [President Trump] that it is not something we relish doing, but it is something that we absolutely will do", Trudeau said. "That will not stand", he noted.

Earlier, the White House escalated the initial tirade and levelled more withering and unprecedented criticism against Mr Trudeau, branding him a back-stabber unworthy of Mr Trump's time.

"An extraordinary amount of trust can be destroyed very quickly with just a tweet", German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas tweeted on Sunday. "We have seen this with the climate agreement or the Iran deal".

The G7 summit is coming down to the wire.

"Justin acts hurt when called out!" the USA president said in his latest Tweet. "But we say that with great sadness".

The summit took place after the Trump administration said it would impose steel and aluminum tariffs on Mexico, Canada and the European Union after previously providing allies with brief exemptions.

James Brander, an worldwide trade expert at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, said Freeland's comments were meaningful.Even so, the summit continues to be a sensitive topic in North Korea and it is hard - even more so than usual - to get people to express opinions about it.

BBC Monitoring reports and analyses news from TV, radio, web and print media around the world.

The North has presented Kim's sudden diplomatic overtures to the country's neighbours and the U.S. as a logical next step and completion of his plan to develop a credible nuclear deterrent in response to what Pyongyang says is a policy of "nuclear blackmail" by Washington. And the maximum, I think you know the answer to that.

Yet the top USA diplomat added Trump is ready to offer "unique" guarantees to ease the regime's concerns about giving up a nuclear arsenal that provides a deterrent against foreign adversaries while also serving as a key point of national pride.

Tensions between the two countries escalated in 2017 after Pyongyang stepped up efforts to boost its nuclear weapons programme. As I recently wrote, while certain sanctions on North Korea are discretionary, a key 2016 law specifically obligates the president to sanction people and entities complicit in human rights abuses in North Korea - not just those involved in weapons proliferation - and the Trump administration legally can't suspend sanctions more broadly unless North Korea implements key human rights reforms.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Trump was prepared to offer "unique assurances" to Kim in exchange for "verifiable" denuclearization.

"We've had multiple deals with North Korea", said Green, who served as director of Asian affairs for the National Security Council under President George W. Bush.

This picture taken on June 8, 2018 shows Lee Hye-ji, a 31-year-old South Korean housewife - who is hopeful about the Trump-Kim summit, during a street interview with AFP in Seoul. On the day before the meeting, weeks of preparation appeared to pick up in pace, with USA and North Korean officials meeting throughout Monday at a Singapore hotel.



Image credit ULI-PwC report

Sanctions on North Korea would remain in place until that had happened, Pompeo said.

The summit will be the first between a North Korean leader and a sitting American president.

"He was my counterpart in the South-North denuclearisation talks in 2011", he said.

The rare public appearance of Kim, waving and smiling to onlookers, adds to the more affable image of the young leader that has emerged since his summit in April with South Korean leader Moon Jae-in. It's a price they are willing to pay for peace.

He has said the talks would be more about starting a relationship with Kim for a negotiating process that would take more than one summit.

As he disembarked from Air Force One, Trump told reporters that he feels "very good" about his prospects.

Lee Do-kyu, also 27 and unemployed, said the recent inter-Korean summits had raised his interest in politics, but it had waned rapidly.

"Because of difficulties finding a job these days, I have lost much interest in those things".The Air Force Office of Special Investigations has said that a fugitive captain has been apprehended in California after being declared a deserter nearly 35 years ago.

William Howard Hughes, Jr., who was going by the name Barry O'Beirne, admitted his true identity after becoming the subject of a passport fraud investigation during an interview with the U.S. Department of State's Diplomatic Security Service on June 5.

At the time, Hughes was single and assigned to an Air Force center in New Mexico, where he had responsibilities including "classified planning and analysis of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation command, control, and communications surveillance systems", the Air Force said. The only clue Hughes left behind was a trail of bank withdrawals, where he pulled out $28,500 from 19 different branches. He said he had lived in California since then.

He is being held at the Travis Air Force Base in California. CNN reports that it remains unclear what charges he will face.

In 1986, journalist Tad Szulc wrote in a Los Angeles Times op-ed piece that at least some intelligence officers "believe that Hughes was either captured by Soviet agents or voluntarily defected to the Soviet Union".

His orders included working with other North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) officers on the operation of Airborne Warning and Control (AWACS) electronic surveillance aircraft, officials stated.

News reports told of the high ranking Air Force officer being 33 years old single when he 'mysteriously' disappeared in the summer of 1983.

It is unknown whether family had been in contact with Hughes or knew of his whereabouts following his 1983 disappearance.

Hughes' sister, Christine Hughes, told the Associated Press in a January 1984 article that the family believed he had been abducted, according to the Albuquerque Journal.

The Air Force said that Hughes had a "Top Secret/Single Scope Background Investigation" clearance at the time of his disappearance.

Nevertheless speculation persisted that Hughes may have been abducted by or defected to the Soviets. "They (AFOSI investigators) said at this point there's no indication that he had any classified information or that he gave any classified information", Card said. The news of Hughes' disappearance made headlines the following year, with a front-page Albuquerque Journal announcing "Kirtland Launches Search for Officer Missing 5 Months" on January 17, 1984.

In 1985 and 1986, several French and American rocket ships failed to launch properly and subsequently exploded, including the Challenger space shuttle.

Mr Szulc also said an intelligence officer told him Capt Hughes was "worth his weight in gold to the Russians in terms of future "Star Wars".Weather Alert

...FREEZE WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 2 AM TO 10 AM CDT SATURDAY... * WHAT...Sub-freezing temperatures as low as 30 expected. * WHERE...Colfax, Platte, Stanton, Cuming, Boone, Madison, Wayne and Thurston Counties. * WHEN...From 2 AM to 10 AM CDT Saturday. * IMPACTS...Frost and freeze conditions will kill crops, other sensitive vegetation and possibly damage unprotected outdoor plumbing. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... Take steps now to protect tender plants from the cold. To prevent freezing and possible bursting of outdoor water pipes they should be wrapped, drained, or allowed to drip slowly. Those that have in-ground sprinkler systems should drain them and cover above- ground pipes to protect them from freezing. &&CARACAS, Venezuela (AP)  Esperita Garcia de Perez got her first vaccination against COVID-19 in May. That, along with her Catholic faith, made her feel better protected against the virus, and she had hoped to get her second shot of the Russian-developed Sputnik V vaccine a few weeks later.Moroccos Royal navy rescued 427 illegal migrants on the Atlantic and Mediterranean coasts.

The navy said in a statement that it intercepted the migrants on board dinghy boats.

Moroccan authorities said they dismantled over 80 illegal migration network and foiled more than 50,000 illegal immigration attempts in 2017.

Moroccos efforts to tighten the noose on criminal networks is part of a comprehensive policy towards immigration that is underpinned by a humanitarian approach placing priority on the rights of immigrants.

Morocco has offered the legalization of the stay of illegal migrants in its territory. The legalization campaign has so far granted legal stay rights to more than 24,000 migrants.Foreign investment in Algeria plummeted to $1.2 billion in 2017, a drop of 26 per cent compared to 2016, according to the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).

The figures show Algerias perceived unfriendliness among foreign investors who are expecting genuine reforms that inspire confidence instead of superficial measures.

In the Doing Business Index, Algeria was ranked 166th along with war-torn countries where business is fraught with all sorts of risks. The business climate in Algeria was comparable with conflict-stricken countries such as Iraq (168th), Syria (174th) and Libya (185th). The country came far behind Egypt (128th) and Tunisia (88th).

Algeria was ranked among the ten worst performing countries in the 2018 Economic Freedom Index, established by The Heritage Foundation, an American public policy think tank based in Washington, DC.

The recent investment reforms undertaken in the country have left unchanged a rule requiring 51% of national ownership of any projects.

The 51/49 rule provides that at least 51% of the shares of Algeria-based companies must be owned by Algerian nationals residing in Algeria or by companies, which are wholly owned by Algeria resident shareholders.

The archaic banking system has also been pushing investors away. Algerias banks remain state-dominated and highly corrupt thus thwarting foreign direct investments.

The political instability and the uncertainty surrounding the successor to the ailing president Bouteflika also contribute to undermining the flow of FDIs, badly needed to diversify the economy.

Algerias foreign exchange reserves are expected to drop to $85 billion at best by the end of 2018 down from $194 billion in 2014, barely enough to cover 18 months of imports.Morocco and Nigeria are moving forwards with their gas pipeline agreed upon in December 2016 during a visit by King Mohammed VI to Abuja.

The project featured prominently at a ceremony co-chaired Sunday by King Mohammed VI and Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari, arrived earlier in Rabat on a two-day working and friendship visit to Morocco.

The ceremony was marked by the signing of a joint declaration on the project.

The declaration was signed by Moroccos authority for oil and mines (ONHYM) and Nigerias National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).

Speaking at the ceremony, head of ONHYM Amina Benkhadra and NNPC director general Farouk Garba Said gave a briefing about the content of the declaration.

They said that following feasibility studies several routes were examined including onshore and offshore and a third option combining both.

In view of economic, political, judicial and security reasons, the combined onshore-offshore option was chosen, they said.

The two officials also highlighted the beneficial impact that the 5.660 km-long pipeline will have on countries of the ECOWAS in terms of promoting trade, regional cooperation and energy diversification.

They said they will move to convince other West African countries to join the project and contact development banks to fund the project.

The pipeline will be built while taking into account the environmental dimension, they added.

This project will give Africa new impetus at the economic, political and strategic levels and will elevate Morocco and Nigeria as leaders of south-south cooperation in the continent, they said.

During this ceremony, Moroccos phosphates company (OCP) and Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority signed a Memorandum of Understanding to develop an industrial production plant for ammonia and derivatives in Nigeria.

The ceremony was marked by the signing of a third cooperation agreement under which Morocco shall offer Nigeria agricultural professional training and technical supervision.Scott Pruitt, administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), right, shakes hands with President Donald Trump at the White House, on Thursday, June 1, 2017, the day Trump announced the U.S. would withdraw from the Paris climate pact. Photo: Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg via Getty Images

In the middle of a juicy New York Times report about palace intrigue and ongoing staff dysfunction in the Trump administration is a revelation of potentially vast significance. The story notes that Trump has ignored his chief of staff and many of his putative top advisers to seek the informal advice of his true confidants. One of those confidants is Environmental Protection Agency administrator Scott Pruitt. The two speak frequently, the Times reports, and the president enjoys discussing his negative view of Jeff Sessions, the attorney general, with the embattled E.P.A. leader.

The importance of this anecdote is not merely that Trump is standing behind his comically scandal-tarred EPA head. Its that it suggests he and Pruitt may be scheming to shut down the Mueller investigation.

If Trump had an easy and risk-free way to stop Mueller, he would have done it already. His biggest problem is Sessions, the attorney general, who has infuriated Trump by recusing himself from the Mueller investigation and failing to prosecute Trumps enemies. Trumps main barrier to replacing Sessions is the difficulty of winning Senate confirmation for the kind of toady Trump craves.

The straightest shot he has is by using something called the Federal Vacancies Reform Act. This 1998 law allows Trump to fill a vacated Cabinet position with any person who has been confirmed by the Senate for another position. So, if Sessions were to leave  how he leaves could matter a lot, but put that aside for the moment  Trump could install, say, Pruitt in his place, since the Senate already confirmed Pruitt for EPA administrator. And Pruitt could serve for up to 210 days without Senate confirmation  long enough to fire Mueller and all his staff.

If Trump wants to use the Vacancies Act maneuver, he could pick any Senate-confirmed figure in his administration. But Pruitt is in some ways the ideal candidate. Hes a lawyer, deeply loyal to Trump, and, most importantly, is not hung up on following ethical rules or norms. Indeed, Pruitt is Trumps most flamboyantly corrupt Cabinet official, with new scandals coming out daily. Pruitts ability to withstand constant revelations of unethical and/or illegal behavior is a strong sign of his willingness to carry out Trumps wildly unethical goal of turning the Justice Department into his personal rent-a-cops.

The fact that Pruitt has Trumps personal trust, and that the two commiserate specifically about Sessions, is evidence both that Trump is considering him as a candidate and that he is willing to join in his Saturday Night Massacrestyle ploy. Indeed, it seems highly likely that Pruitt has already discussed the Russia investigation with Trump and given the president an indication of his pliability in the matter. (If you think either Trump or Pruitt would refrain from discussing the case out of ethical considerations, my response is hahahaha.)

Now, the question of how such a vacancy would occur matters a lot. If Sessions were to resign, Trump would have a clear path to replacing him without the Senate. If Sessions was fired, the law is murkier, and Trump would have a court case on his hands. This would certainly explain why Trump has subjected Sessions to months of public and private humiliation. He is trying to induce his AG to quit rather than having to fire him. If Trump reaches a point where he has to stop the Mueller probe quickly, he might pull the trigger, fire Sessions, and take his chances that the court will rule his way on the Vacancies Act.

Trumps behavior toward Sessions appears erratic and irrational. And it might be nothing more than an extended tantrum. But his behavior is also perfectly consistent with a cunning ploy to find a legal path to firing the special counsel. The news that Pruitt and Trump speak about Sessions is compelling evidence for the latter scenario.The attorney general and his boss like to talk about the evil of gangs, but wont lift a finger to help their noncitizen victims. Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images

In a brutal confirmation of the Trump administrations callousness toward the safety or welfare of people fleeing horrible situations and trying to enter the U.S., Attorney General Jeff Sessions ordered immigration judges to stop granting asylum to people who are victims of gang violence or domestic abuse. Evan Halper explains:

The decision, which immigration advocates are sure to aggressively fight, came as Sessions seeks to use the authority of his office to sharply change U.S. immigration law to make it less friendly to asylum seekers.

The attorney general has the power to issue decisions that serve as binding precedents for immigration judges. In this instance, he used a case involving a victim of domestic violence from El Salvador to rule that survivors of such private crimes are not eligible for asylum under U.S. law.

This reverses the Obama administrations guidance, and will affect tens of thousands of people, mostly women, who apply for asylum as victims of rape and other domestic violence each year, coming especially from chaotic Central American countries. Says one immigration advocate:

Many women sitting right now in detention under these claims might lose their right to obtain protection and be deported to dangerous situations.

Sessions says this action is necessary to maintain the rule of law, which is a pretty clear indication that his idea of the law includes neither justice nor mercy. And it might well violate broader understandings of even the letter of the law, as Halper notes:

The United Nations High Commission on Refugees had urged Sessions against changing the asylum rules. It warned that such action would violate international agreements the U.S. has entered into concerning refugees and would subject victims to being returned to situations where their lives are in danger. The American Bar Assn. warned that ending the asylum eligibility for victims of domestic violence would further victimize those most in need of protection.

Trump and Sessions like to talk tough about crime, and particularly gang violence. Its clear the tough talk is reserved for America first and only; victims of the animals of MS-13 at our doorstep are a matter of indifference. And its striking that the administration so loved by conservative Evangelical Christians is so far from the biblical injunction of St. Paul, who said, Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.In a 54 decision, SCOTUS gives the benefit of the doubt to states that want to verify voters rolls to prevent phantom threat of voter fraud. Photo: Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call,Inc.

It is the kind of 54 decision that shows why it mattered that Mitch McConnell kept Merrick Garland off the Supreme Court so that GOP appointee Neil Gorsuch was able to occupy Antonin Scalias seat. Samuel Alito delivered the opinion for the conservative majority in Husted v. Philip Randolph Institute that gave the state of Ohio  famed for its highly partisan election administration regime  great leeway in designing a purge of voter rolls after narrowly construing some confusing language in the federal motor-voter legislation (officially the National Voter Registration Act of 1993) that was designed to expand voter participation.

The federal law at issue had one provision indicating how states might verify an apparent change of address by return-postage-paid notice to voters, and another banning a purge on the basis of failure to vote. Ohio wanted to initiate a purge that sent notices to voters if they missed voting for just two years, arguing that it was the subsequent failure to respond to multiple notices that triggered their removal, not failure to vote. All in all, the procedures meant someone who didnt vote for six years and who threw out the notices could be removed from the rolls. And there was no doubt that Ohio  which has purged 2 million voters since 2011 on various pretexts  would aggressively pursue whatever avenues the courts allowed for restricting the franchise, which happens to benefit the party that has run Ohios electoral machinery during this period.

The four dissenters (with Stephen Breyer writing the main dissent) rejected the idea that a use-it-or-lose-it approach to voting rights is acceptable under current federal law. And in a scathing separate dissent, Justice Sotomayor reminded the Court that it was perverting the entire purpose of the motor-voter law by construing it as permissive toward voter purges  particularly those which, like Ohios, disproportionately affects minority voters, which the same law prohibits.

The decision doesnt just affect voters in Ohio, as NBC News noted:

At least a dozen other politically conservative states said they would adopt a similar practice if Ohio prevailed, as a way of keeping their voter registration lists accurate and up to date.

So it might be off to the races for a new round of voter suppression, all justified by a yet-to-be-documented risk of voter fraud, and a new burden for beleaguered voting-rights activists who must now focus on educating vulnerable communities on how to avoid or mitigate purges.

Aside from showing the importance of who does and does not get confirmed for the Supreme Court, the decision illustrates the weakness of federal voting-rights laws. If there was a clearly, solidly established presumption in favor of the right to vote and a difficult set of obstacles for would-be vote suppressors to overcome, decisions like this would be hard to write. But on the other hand, thats the kind of law that was in place for jurisdictions subject to the pre-clearance provisions of the Voting Right Acts of 1965 (whereby suspicious changes in voting procedures had to be approved in advance by the Justice Department) until the Supreme Court gutted it in the 2013 Shelby County v. Holder decision. Currently Congress, the Justice Department, and a big majority of states are under the control of a Republican Party that has all but abandoned any interest in vindicating voting rights. Combine that with a SCOTUS majority that is equally indifferent if not hostile and you have a terrible environment for the fight for voting rights that stretches all the way back to the premature hopes aroused by the 15th Amendment, ratified 148 years ago.

Its unclear whether this will be a significant election issue for Democrats this year or in 2020, but its without question an issue where the results of those elections could have a large, real-life impact on the right to vote.Leave.EU donor Arron Banks at a press conference in November 2015. Photo: Leon Neal/AFP/Getty Images

Concerns about Russias election meddling  in the U.K.  reached new heights on Saturday after leaked emails revealed extensive links between one of the top backers of a pro-Brexit campaign and Russian officials. The Observer and Sunday Times of London obtained the some 40,000 emails sent by millionaire businessman Arron Banks, the chief financial backer of U.K. Independence Party leader Nigel Farages Leave.EU campaign, and Andy Wigmore, Leave.EUs director of communications.

The emails show show that Banks had previously undisclosed meetings with Russias U.K. ambassador (which were set up by an alleged Russian spy), and had made a previously undisclosed visit to Moscow at the peak of the Brexit campaign. Banks and Wigmore were also offered, at one point, a business deal involving several Russian goldmines that could have been worth a fortune for the men, according to the documents. There is a Trump connection, as the Sunday Times reports that Banks admitted that, months after the Brexit referendum, he handed over phone numbers for members of Trumps transition team to Russian officials  though its not yet clear whose info he handed over, or what became of it.

Who's @Arron_banks? He's the Bad Boy of Brexit seen here to left of Trump. In depth interview here. "Not a single penny of money has been put into Brexit," he told me. Though I never actually asked him that..https://t.co/FhCGq0nX93 pic.twitter.com/imvnI3KQiO  Carole Cadwalladr (@carolecadwalla) June 9, 2018

Banks has donated 1.3 million to the UKIP since 2014, and contributed 6 million to Leave.EU. Both he and Wigmore have denied they played any role in helping Russia influence the Brexit referendum, or that Russia was even trying to do so. Yet starting in 2015, Russias ambassador to the U.K., Alexander Yakovenko, worked to develop a relationship with Banks and his associate, successfully inviting them to multiple events as the Brexit campaign was underway. At one meeting, they were introduced to Russian mining magnate Siman Povarenkin in regard to the potential goldmine deal. Another meeting may have happened just three days after Banks, Wigmore, and Farage became the first Britons to meet with President-elect Trump on November 12, 2016. That was hardly their first foray into Trump World, either, as noted by the Observer:

[Yakovenkos] invitations continued after the [Brexit] referendum during the time in which Banks, Wigmore and Farage began travelling regularly to America to support Donald Trumps bid for the presidency, according to the documents.

Ambassador Yakovenko met Wigmore and Banks on 19 August, the day Steve Bannon became Trumps campaign manager. It was days before they travelled to Mississippi with Nigel Farage for a rally on 25 August at which Donald Trump introduced him to the crowds as Mr Brexit. He said a Trump presidency would be Brexit plus.

Per the Sunday Times, Wigmore said the third meeting with Yakovenko came three days after the meeting with Trump, but this has not been confirmed, and that Yakovenko is said to have asked Banks for contact details for Trumps transition team, and was given a number.

Republican Presidential nominee Donald Trump, left, listens to United Kingdom Independence Party leader Nigel Farage speak during a campaign rally at the Mississippi Coliseum on August 24, 2016 in Jackson, Mississippi. Photo: Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images

Farage, the UKIP and Leave.EU leader who used Trump-like tactics to drum up populist support for Brexit, has said that he admires Russian President Vladimir Putin more than any other world leader, but its not clear if he was aware of Banks and Wigmores Kremlin ties. Banks  whose wife is from Russia  has been defiant in response to the leaked emails, telling the Sunday Times, I had two boozy lunches with the Russian ambassador and another cup of tea with him. Bite me. Though he and Wigmore reportedly invited Yakovenko to the results-watching party at Leave.EUs headquarters after the referendum (he declined), Banks also echoed President Trump in dismissing any notion of collusion, claiming that, Its a convenient political witch-hunt, both over Brexit and Trump.

But as Russia expert and Washington Post columnist Anne Applebaum pointed out in a Twitter thread on Sunday, the leaked documents offer good demonstration of how the Kremlin tries to support European political movements that are aligned with its interests:

Russians dont usually give direct funding, [with] the exception being Marine Le Pens National Front [in France]. Instead, they offer lucrative business deals to high-ranking members of the movement. There is some evidence of this in the case of the Austrian Freedom Party, and also the Italian Northern League. Important point: Its not illegal, or not necessarily. It doesnt break laws on foreign funding for political parties, if they exist. Russian offers of lucrative private deals could be used to make politicians pro-Russian, even if those deals somehow dont work out. That may have been the point of that Trump Tower Moscow negotiation, though we dont know enough about it. Of course, if the deals come through, then the money can be used to finance a political campaign  legally.

Banks and Wigmore will now face questions from a parliamentary committee starting on Tuesday, where more of Leave.EUs shadows may start to receive some sunlight, as the Guardian notes:

MPs on the digital, culture, media and sport committee, who have the protection of parliamentary privilege, had been expected to focus on Bankss links to Russia, including the provenance of his wealth. He is also subject to an Electoral Commission inquiry into the true source of his donations. Leave.EU has been fined 70,000 for accounting irregularities. The organisations chief executive, Liz Bilney, another Banks associate, is under police investigation.

Whatever happens next, the leaked emails reveal more evidence of Russias efforts to drive political upheaval in the U.K. and U.S., as well as how influential figures on both sides of the Atlantic have hardly spurned their advances.Here, make sure nobody properly archives this. Photo: MARY SCHWALM/AFP/Getty Images

By now weve all grown accustomed to reports that our president behaves like a toddler. These alleged habits range from stupid and amusing (Trump gets two scoops) to stupid and frightening (cable-news chyrons in his briefing book). Now theres a new variety: stupid and expensive.

Politico reports that Trump usually rips up papers when hes done with them, and tosses them in the trash or on the floor  a process some people described as his filing system. This does not jibe with the Presidential Records Act, which stipulates that basically every piece of paper the president touches must be shipped off to the National Archives to be preserved for posterity. But instead of saying, Mr. President, you need to stop tearing up these documents because its illegal, and also deeply weird, White House staffers decided it was easier to collect the scraps of paper and have a whole team of government employees tape them back together.

Solomon Lartey, a career records-management analyst who earned $65,969 a year, described the process to Politico:

Staffers had the fragments of paper collected from the Oval Office as well as the private residence and send it over to records management across the street from the White House for Larkey and his colleagues to reassemble [sic].

We got Scotch tape, the clear kind, Lartey recalled in an interview. You found pieces and taped them back together and then you gave it back to the supervisor. The restored papers would then be sent to the National Archives to be properly filed away.

Lartey said he spent the first five months of the Trump administration standing over a desk in the Old Executive Office Building, trying to piece Trumps papers back together. One of his colleagues, Reginald Young Jr., confirmed that he and other career government officials were given this task. Lartey and Young said the practice was still going on this spring, when they were abruptly fired from their jobs with no explanation.

If Trump and his new pal Scott Pruitt ever get tired of bashing Jeff Sessions, they can trade tips on utterly frivolous ways to waste taxpayer money and torture underlings.Well always have Singapore. Photo: Win McNamee/Getty Images

Donald Trump has decided to leave his historic summit with Kim Jong-un 15 hours earlier than expected, flying back to Washington on Tuesday night instead of Wednesday morning. The White House says that this change of plans is a product of talks moving more quickly than expected. But theres reason to suspect that it is because they are barely moving at all.

On Monday evening in Singapore, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told reporters that complete denuclearization is the only outcome that the United States will accept from Pyongyang, and that the latter will enjoy no economic relief until it has met that demand. By contrast, Pompeo did suggest that the U.S. was prepared to make unspecified concessions to North Korean security concerns before the total dismantling of its nuclear program was achieved.

Were prepared to take actions that will provide them sufficient certainty that they can be comfortable that denuclearization isnt something that ends badly for them, Pompeo said, adding that talks were moving quite rapidly and we anticipate they will come to their logical conclusion even more quickly than we had anticipated.

Talks rapidly reaching their logical conclusion has been a feature of the past few weeks of diplomacy between Washington and Pyongyang. On May 30, Pompeo met with North Korean spy chief Kim Yong-chol in New York; their discussion concluded two hours earlier than expected, as Kim refused to make any commitment whatsoever on denuclearization, according to the Washington Post. Days earlier, in the North Korean village of Panmunjom, negotiations between diplomats from Washington and Pyongyang stalled when North Koreas viceforeign minister Choe Son-hui said that denuclearization should not be on the table for the Singapore summit  a demand that would nullify the meetings purpose from the White Houses perspective.

Now, both sides appear prepared to let Tuesdays historic face-to-face between the sitting leaders of the U.S. and North Korea function as more of an ice-breaker (and photo op) than a high-stakes diplomatic showdown. We are hopeful this summit will have set the conditions for future successful talks, Pompeo said during his remarks Monday.

The summit will open at 9 a.m. Tuesday in Singapore (which is 9 p.m. tonight in Washington) with Kim and Trump shaking hands and taking a walk in the view of the media, according to an official who spoke with Bloomberg News. The two leaders will then meet one on one (with only translators listening in), before being joined by their top aides. Among those flanking Trump will be Pompeo and national security adviser John Bolton, whose belligerent rhetoric toward North Korea briefly derailed the summit last month.

For the moment, it is difficult to see how the American and North Korean positions can be reconciled. For Pyongyang, the summit is itself an affirmation of its nuclear program immense value. It is inconceivable that the worlds leading superpower would make time for an isolated, impoverished Chinese client state if said state did not have weapons of mass destruction. In leveraging the threat of its nuclear program, by contrast, Kims regime has secured Washingtons ostensible endorsement of its right to violate human rights in perpetuity.

Given the tangible benefits of retaining its nuclear weapons; the dearth of reasons to trust Americas promises; the high likelihood that Washington isnt actually willing to risk a mass-casualty war to force denuclearization; and the fact that one of North Koreas chief security demands  the withdrawal of American troops from the region  is something that Trump has suggested that he wants to do regardless, for America first reasons, it is hard to understand why Pyongyang would ever commit to total denuclearization.

Granted, North Korea has other security goals that America could facilitate  among them, a guarantee to defend its regime against domestic challenge, a peace treaty ending the Korean War, and the removal of South Korea and Japan from Americas so-called nuclear umbrella. But the White House is insisting that it will make no major concessions on these fronts until Pyongyang has dismantled its nuclear program.

If the two sides long-term, strategic objectives appear incompatible, however, their short-term political goals would seem to be in close alignment: Both leaders have an interest in declaring the summit a productive first step in an ongoing process. After the debacle at the G7, Trump does not want to come home without a symbolic display of diplomatic skill; and a friendly summit will do more to legitimate Kims regime than a failed one.

It doesnt take all that long to reach an agreement to disagree for now, and talk more later. If that is the logical conclusion of the summit in Singapore, then its unsurprising that the two sides are converging on it rapidly.Gavel ready. Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images

Late last week, the Republican Party came down with a bad health issue: In defiance of long-standing norms, settled law, and its own political interests, the Trump administration pledged its support to a lawsuit contending that Obamacares protections for people with preexisting conditions are unconstitutional.

Specifically, the Justice Department announced that it would not defend the Affordable Care Act from a challenge brought by a group of red states, which claims that Congresss repeal of the individual mandate renders the rest of the law unconstitutional  as that provision is not severable from the rest. This is a legal claim so radical and ill-supported it made the National Review blush. The notion that Congress is not constitutionally allowed to eliminate the ACAs insurance mandate  unless it also repeals the laws other regulations of the health-care market  is not some sacred principle of constitutional originalists. Rather, its a transparently ad hoc rationalization for the judiciary to veto a duly-passed expansion of the safety net. And yet, Attorney General Jeff Sessions concluded that his department could make no honest argument against the plaintiffs case.

Publically, the administrations decision provoked more outrage from Democratic officeholders than Republican ones; but in private, the opposite dynamic likely prevails. Few things would be worse for the GOPs political health than a renewed debate over Obamacare repeal  let alone, one over whether insurance companies should be allowed to deny coverage to working-class cancer patients.

The GOPs initial support for letting the market decide who can get chemotherapy without having to declare bankruptcy proved so toxic, congressional Republicans retained versions of the Affordable Care Acts protections for people with preexisting conditions in all of their health-care bills last year. But keeping Obamacares most popular regulation in place wasnt enough to salvage the repeal effort. In fact, the American Health Care Act ended up being the most unpopular piece of major legislation in our nations modern history. Shortly after the bills introduction last spring, the Democratic Party opened a double-digit lead in polls of the 2018 generic ballot, while President Trumps job approval dipped. Subsequent surveys showed the public favoring the Democrats over the Republicans on health-care policy by wide margins.

And it isnt hard to see why. Out-of-pocket health-care costs are rising for virtually everyone in the United States. Drug prices are resolutely high, premiums on the individual market are skyrocketing (thanks to the GOPs tireless efforts to sabotage said market), and the average deductible for those with employer-provided insurance has increased by nearly 400 percent since 2006. The Democratic Partys prescription is for the government to impose price controls, while further subsidizing ordinary Americans health-care costs by raising taxes on the rich (the party is internally divided over the details of its policy, but united on its general direction). The Republican Party, by contrast, is beholden to reactionary interests who want the government to cut public spending on health care, so as to finance ever-lower taxes on the wealthy and corporations.

And virtually no one (who hasnt attended a Koch Network fundraiser) favors the GOP side of this argument. Most of the Republican base actually opposes tax cuts for the rich and corporations, supports increased federal spending on health care, and believes that the Medicaid expansion should be preserved.

So long as Republicans did not have to put forward an alternative, they could advance their fanatical donors crusade against the welfare state  while simultaneously exploiting popular dissatisfaction with the American health-care system, by using Obamacare as synonym for everything the public resented about the latter. But once the party came into power  and tried to increase the ranks of the uninsured by 20 million, while gutting coverage for the poor and cutting subsidies for the working class  the irreconcilable desires of its top investors and the American public became clear; and the health-care issue became politically toxic for Republicans.

For this reason, Republican candidates have largely sought to avoid the topic. And Mitch McConnell has worked to prevent any Senate action on health care this summer, in defiance of Chuck Schumers wishes. But the well-heeled reactionaries who underwrite McConnells power havent gone anywhere. And they arent ready to take the unpopularity of their goals as an excuse for the GOPs failure to realize them. Thus, some conservatives in both chambers are calling on their party to revive the Obamacare fight, while right-wing attorneys general force the issue in the courts  and the Trump administration cheers them both on.

And Democratic consultants are cheering with it. The partys No. 1 strategic objective has been to force health care to the front of voters minds  both to exploit the partys advantage on that issue, and to undermine public support for the Trump tax cuts by reminding voters that the GOP always intended to pay for its regressive giveaway with cuts to Medicaid and Obamacare.

Last month, Republican congressman  and longtime GOP strategist  Tom Cole told CNN that health care wouldnt be salient in the midterm campaign. Its hard to beat you on a vote you didnt succeed on, Cole reasoned. The ACA wasnt repealed, and the only part of it that was was the least popular part: the individual mandate.

Now, the White House is arguing that, as far as the constitution is concerned, the ACA was repealed. Democrats may object to that idea in courts of law  but theyre more than happy to promote it in the court of public opinion.Keith Kalyegira, the Capital Markets Authority (CMA) chief executive officer, is on a mission to fulfill the authoritys 10-year development master plan through facilitating access to alternative financing in order to reduce dependency on bank financing as well as to improve efficiency within the capital markets ecosystem.

Therefore, the CMA week that rolls off today at the Constitution Square is a timely moment to enlighten stakeholders about formal savings and investment opportunities within the economy, writes JUSTUS LYATUU.

In 2015, CMA developed a 10-year development master plan whose vision is to position Ugandas capital markets within the frontier market as well as attract more international capital to meet financing needs for both government and the private sectors.

L-R: Keith Kalyegira, the CMA chief executive officer, former CMA board chair Grace Kavuma, BoU deputy governor Louis Kasekende and Matia Kasaija, the Finance minister

The Capital Markets week kicks off today at Constitution Square under the theme How can Ugandans save, invest and create wealth in Ugandas Capital Markets? Entrance is free.

The master plans phased implementation is to strengthen capacity, develop tiered streamlined issuance requirements and improve awareness by 2019. On that background, CMA week aims to educate the public on its operations as well as get the public acquainted with the sector.

As CMA, we are organizing a Capital Markets Week for anyone who wants to know more about capital markets, what they do, opportunities existing for savers and investors and issuance of money (raising capital), Kalyegira says. We will talk about available savings options; we believe individuals can go directly to buy shares after getting advice from brokers [or] invest in government bonds through collective investment schemes rather than having the challenge of where to invest.

Uganda currently has 16 companies listed on the Uganda Securities Exchange (USE) with only eight locally owned. So, this will be an opportunity for the public to see and assess their performance.

Finance minister Matia Kasaija weighed in on the initiative and noted that government is committed to deepening and broadening the financial sector.

The implementation of this plan hinges on support from different parties hence the need for a concerted, multi-sectoral effort to ensure the realization of the vision and goals set out in the plan. As the key policy body for this document, the ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development will ensure that the recommendations are given priority by the various implementing agencies and effective monitoring will be carried out during the period, he said.

The ministry further commits to support the growth of capital markets and I, therefore, implore all Ugandans to embrace this development and actively participate in this growth.

Meanwhile, Kalyegira welcomes the move by government to enforce mandatory listing of telecommunication companies on the USE. He explains that listing the companies will give Ugandans a chance to own the successes of the companies especially because the telecom companies have many subscribers and big revenue.

Why cant some of these people buy shares in companies like MTN or Airtel? The success of these companies have been in the back of Ugandan society; so, why cant they give back to society? he says.

Last week, Kasaija announced that he is going to table a memo to cabinet this week which seeks to make telecom companies listed, thereby compelling the companies to sell shares to the public.

Kalyegira said Ugandans should make noise in order to be allowed to be part of these telecommunication companies.

Many Ugandans dont know how capital markets work; so, they have failed to exploit opportunities in the market. Companies also fear listing on the securities yet there are many opportunities of raising capital, he says.

State of Ugandas Capital Market

Capital markets development in Uganda began with the passing of the Capital Markets Authority Act and the establishment of the CMA in 1996 as a semi-autonomous body responsible for promoting, developing and regulating capital markets in Uganda, with the overall objective of investor protection and market efficiency.

Since establishment, the authority has undertaken various initiatives to develop capital markets in Uganda. Notable among these was the development of legal and regulatory frameworks for issuance of securities, and investments such as collective investment schemes, public education, as well as development of frameworks for cross-border securities markets activities.

The USE was set up in 1997. The first bond was listed in 1998 and the first shares in 2000.

justuslyatuu08@gmail.comResidents of Lugazi municipality, Buikwe district are living in fear following the circulation of anonymous letters warning of an impending attack against those who will not release money to the authors of the letters.The letters contain a list of 26 names including area leaders and prominent businessmen and women, who are targeted by the authors. On the same list are also three schools being targeted by the same group for possible attacks.One of the letters was dropped in Nakazadde village where it was picked up by a resident and presented to police. Written in red ink, the letter indicates that all persons who fail to avail the amount of money written against their names will be "cut, cut into piecesThe authors say they deliberately used red ink to signify bloodshed.On the list is Mwanje Sebbowa, a FUFA delegate was asked to pay Shs 10 million, the same amount expected from former MP Bruno Pajobo, and Nakazadde village chairman only identified as Mukasa. They are also demanding Shs 7 million from Little Angels' nursery school, Shs 5 million from Juliana high school and Shs 3 million from True Light School.Several other residents have been asked for money ranging between Shs 500,000 and Shs 10 million. Bill Tomusange, the director of Juliana high school said he has left the matter to police and God.President Yoweri Museveni has said his government is going to ban wearing of hoods while driving because it was the latest techinique assailants are using to disguise their identity when murdering people.

Museveni was speaking at the funeral of slain Arua municipality MP Ibrahim Abiriga and his brother and bodyguard Saidi Kongo Buga in Lukudu village, Arua today afternoon.

Those who killed Abiriga are using a simple technique of putting on a jacket with a hoodSo we had a security meeting the other day, and I asked the security people; why do you allow these people to move with hoods? So were going to ban covering of your head when youre drivingFor the helmets, were going to require all of them to acquire new helmets with numbers at the back and those numbers must be shining at night. So no more hoods... Museveni said.

President Museveni addressing mourners in Arua

Abiriga and his brother Buga were shot dead last Friday evening in Kawanda in Wakiso district, reportedly by two hooded men who were riding on motorcycles. Museveni also warned of tough new laws he said his government was going to formulate so as to control the kelele (noise) of fools, idiots, who are just on radio, social media. And here we need strong laws. If it needs legislation we really need to legislate. Dont do this, dont do that.

Museveni said murder cases like Abirigas are not a military problem because "an assassin is like a needle in a stack of hay. It doesnt need many soldiers to look for the needle. If you bring many soldiers to look for the needle, youre just wasting time. You need a metal detector.

This issue is not a big security problem but an issue of intelligence and media control but it is also true that theres some laxity in the security forces especially the police and intelligence services.

Museveni added that his NRM government has political opponents but it doesnt kill them the way Abiriga may have been killed for his political beliefs. He cited the example of Kassiano Wadri, the former opposition legislator and MP of Terego county, who, he said he did not like politically but did not kill.

He said Wadri may even join ruling party, NRM party, but if hed killed him that would never have been possible.

Why do you kill an elected leader of Uganda. Why doesnt the NRM kill the MPs on the opposition.If you start a war with NRM you will lose. Nobody will start a war with NRM and win. You will loseYou dont kill people. If theres war you fight. You dont find a man seated in his house and kill himyoure a pig. If you want to fight go to the bush and declare war and fight."Ronald Kiwanuka used to survive on his tailoring business which involved going to peoples homes around Gogonya village, Kibiga sub-county, Kiboga district and ask for work.

His family suffered whenever he couldnt find jobs. Then his legs got swollen whenever he covered long distances or sat for long. This made running the manual sewing machine hard.

But now he is all praises for the Social Assistance Grants for Empowerment (SAGE). Kiwanukas welfare has improved; he can now take care of his extended family which includes a 91-year-old mother.

At 71, Kiwanuka has been receiving this unconditional monthly grant of Shs 25,000 from the government to selected persons aged 65 years and above.

Although the money looks small, I use it for farming. As you can see, Im becoming weaker every year; so, at least I can promise these young men who do the weeding that I will pay them and they work for me, he said.

Kiwanuka said he now cultivates seven acres, up from four acres. As for Teresa Namuli, 80, the money has helped keep her grandchildren in school; most of them had dropped out of school, not because there was no school fees but because they did not have what to eat at school.

We have a government primary school here and the head teacher allowed them to study free after I told him my situation and with my advanced age. He accepted but on condition that I raise some money to feed these children, she said.

The two senior citizens are part of the 4,700 active beneficiaries of the programme in Kiboga where SAGE was piloted in 2011 and leaders say up to Shs 8.7 billion has been disbursed to beneficiaries in the district.

Sarah Nakarungi, the chief administrative officer here, said Kiboga was one of the pioneer districts to get the grant funded through a partnership between the government, the UK Department for International Development (DFID) and the Republic of Ireland through Irish Aid.

The SAGE programme in this district was launched in 2011 after an understanding between the ministry of Gender and the district, and effective from 2017, we introduced the Regional Technical Support Unit operation model, she said.

Kiboga is the regional technical unit providing support to five SAGE districts of Kyankwanzi, Kibaale, Nakasongola, Nakaseke and host Kiboga.

Parliamentarians under Uganda Parliamentary Forum for Social Protection visited on May 29 and heard Nakarungi say how SAGE has improved senior citizens welfare.

We have seen an uptake of health services; for instance, they are able to pay boda boda to access health centres, they could not go to hospital because they did not have transport means, she said.

Israel Yiga, the districts chairperson, said food security has improved in beneficiary households: they can hire labour to cultivate, purchase seeds and some foodstuffs.

This, although minimal, is boosting the local economy with the cash. Also, we see some traders position strategically during payment days, he said.

Challenges

Kiwanuka sees the main challenge being delayed payment which makes it hard to plan.

We promise our boys who do the weeding that we will pay at the end of the month only for the money to delay up to six and even nine months. We find ourselves stuck with our farms as some will not come back after a month without pay, he said.

Kiwanuka also complains about long distances to pay centres. He uses up to Shs 7,000 to go and receive Shs 25,000. Namuli said that previously the money was sent to mobile phones but people kept forgetting passwords or their relatives could withdraw their money without their consent.

By the time parliamentarians visited, these senior citizens were just receiving their November and December grants from 2017.

Cash on wheels

When government and donors realised that senior citizens were being robbed or had trouble with passwords, they contracted Post Bank to deliver the money to the nearest village.

Albert Barekye, the general manager, operations, at Post Bank, says that now beneficiaries get paid at the nearest sub-county headquarters.

We registered them and simply use biometric data and fingerprints. In few minutes they can access their money, he said.

Government take

Peace Mutuuzo, the state minister for Gender and Culture Affairs, said the main challenge is shortfall in the budget and unpredictable releases arising from fluctuating domestic revenue.

She said this is why delayed payments can run up to five months.

Nonetheless, I am glad to inform you that for the current financial year, 87 per cent of the SAGE money has been released and a supplementary budget to cater for the funding gap has been approved, she said.

justuslyatuu08@gmail.comNot ready to accept the defeat in its protest against the $16-billion Walmart-Flipkart merger, the traders' association CAIT (Confederation of All India Traders) has now decided to launch a country-wide agitation against the mega deal if the government fails to address their concerns.

While few industry players are on their toes ever since this deal came to light, many others are viewing this as the resurrection of the exploitative East India Company, albeit in a lawful garb. In what may seem like the biggest mergers of recent times, the US retail giant Walmart struck up a deal to acquire Flipkart for $16 billion for 77 per cent share in the new entity in May.

According to the CAIT, the entry of Walmart would create an uneven playing field, and ultimately lead to the exploitation of domestic traders. In a statement, the traders' body said, "The merger of two companies will create an unfair competition and uneven level playing field, and will indulge in predatory pricing, deep discounts and loss funding."

Prior to knocking the doors of the CCI, the association had written two letters to Commerce Minister Suresh Prabhu, saying Walmart is nothing but a US version of 'The East India Company'.

The CAIT has now threatened a nationwide agitation if the government gives a go-ahead to the Walmart-Flipkart deal. "For the past five years, we are knocking the doors of the government for bringing reforms in e-commerce but all has gone to deaf ears, which encouraged Walmart to buy Flipkart and enter into the retail trade indirectly," the statement said, adding the deal would amplify malpractices in e-commerce.

In 2014, the BJP had promised that it wouldn't encourage the FDI in retail. However, given its complete U-turn in the Walmart-Flipkart deal, it appears improbable that the centre would listen to the traders' demands.The results for Class 10th Board examinations conducted by Rajasthan Board of Secondary Education (RBSE) have been declared. The Rajasthan Board Class 10 results are available at www.rajeduboard.rajasthan.gov.in and www.rajresults.nic.in for examinees to see. Students can also check their results via SMS.

Around 11 lakh students took the Rajasthan Board Class 10 examinations this year. A total of 33,564 examinees did not turn up for the examination. Also, the Rajasthan Board has decided not to release a merit list for the Class 10 Board examination.

Here's how to check Rajasthan Class 10 results 2018:

Check Rajasthan Class 10 results at official RBSE website

Visit the official Rajasthan Board website - www.rajeduboard.rajasthan.gov.in Click on the 'Result-2018' on the homepage Click on 'Secondary - 2018 Result' for Class 10 results Enter your Roll Number and click Submit Your result should appear now. Download it or take a print out for future reference.2018 Michigan: Corey LaJoie NASCAR Monster Energy Race Recap

Posted by: newsla on Jun 11, 2018 - 06:17 PM 2018 Michigan: Corey LaJoie NASCAR Monster Energy Race Recap



Series: Monster Energy Cup Series

Venue: Michigan International Speedway

Race Title: FireKeepers Casino 400

Track Length / Configuration: 2.0-mile, D-shaped oval

Race Distance: 200 laps / 400 miles

Race Format: 3 Stages: Stages ended on Laps 60/120/200*

Cautions: 8 cautions for 30 yellow flag laps

Lead Changes: 9 among 7 drivers

Started: 32

Finished: 27

Laps Completed: 133

Points Gained: 10

Notes: *Shortened due to rain. Race considered official at lap 133



Stage 1

The start of the FireKeepers Casino 400 was delayed due to rain. Once the track drying efforts were complete, Corey LaJoie took the green flag in the 32nd position in the ZOMONGO No. 72



Competition Caution Lap 25: LaJoie had fallen a lap down and was in the Lucky Dog position when the caution flag was displayed. He reported the ZOMONGO No. 72 was plowing tight. He came in for service of four tires, fuel, air pressure and wedge adjustments. He took the restart in the 33rd position, posted back on the lead lap



Caution Lap 37 (incident): LaJoie reported he was lacking turn. He stayed out on track and resumed competition posted 29th on the leaderboard



Caution Lap 58 (spin): LaJoie stayed out on track



Stage 1 Completion Caution: LaJoie completed the stage 27th. He pitted for four tires, fuel, air pressure and wedge adjustments and a packer added to the left front



Stage 2

LaJoie took the green flag restart 26th to start Stage 2



Caution Lap 67 (incident): LaJoie was posted 25th and stayed out under the caution



Caution Lap 87 (spin): Running 31st in the ZOMONGO No. 72, LaJoie reported right front chatter. Crew Chief Frank Kerr called for four tires, fuel, wedge adjustment and packer pulled from the left front. LaJoie rejoined the field 28th



Stage 2 Completion Caution: LaJoie was posted 29th and had fallen one lap down from the leader. He relayed he lacked rear stability, free in, tight in the center and free off. He stayed out on track to take the wave around



Stage 3

LaJoie started Stage 3 in the 27th position, back on the lead lap



Caution Lap 133 (incident): The caution flag was displayed for an incident and quickly became a red flag due to rain. NASCAR deemed the race official. LaJoie brought home a 27th place finish in the ZOMONGO No. 72 at Michigan International Speedway



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From Greg Swank, 12-4-2 You are about to read a list of 45 goals that found their way down the halls of our great Capitol back in 1963. As...About Me Scott Because prophetic scriptures are found throughout the bible, it is obvious that a comprehensive, systematic approach would be useful, if not necessary, for the understanding of prophecy. Past prophecies have been fulfilled in a literal manner, as confirmed by the dating of these writings and historical records of confirmation. These past prophecies also serve as a model of how to interpret future prophecies. A literal view of prophecy clearly indicates a certain sequence of events will occur within a single generation, concluding with the Tribulation and Second Advent and these events will be obvious. The prophetic signs appear to be present in this generation and we believe these signs are revealed in the news from around the world. View my complete profileWelcome Guest! You Are Here:Welcome Guest! You Are Here:

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Guwahati : The banned outfit group NSCN (K) had commemorated the first death anniversary of late SS Khaplang, the former Chairman and President and the founding leader of NSCN/GPRN who died on June 9 last year.





The first death anniversary was held at NSCN/GPRN Council Head Quarter, Taka in Myanmar on June 9.





Hosts of leaders from various revolutionary organisations of Western South East Asia (WESEA) region and United National Liberation Front of Western South East Asia (UNLFW) attended the commemoration and paid tribute to the late leader.





The late leader has been instrumental in forging unity among multi-ethnic struggling nationalities of the region and the successful establishment of UNLFW under his Chairmanship was one such realisation of his broader vision and fraternal concerns for every suppressed and colonised people in the West South East Asia.





Late SS Khaplang will always be regarded as the Patron and father of the WESEA nationalist movement and generations shall continue to draw inspirations from his exemplary leadership spanning more than five decades of sheer sacrifice and struggle until his last breath, a top leader of

NSCN (K) said.





Church leaders, civil societies, public leaders and hundreds of admirers thronged his memorial grave and paid rich tributes in various forms. The leaders and representatives from ULFA(I),NDFB, UNLF, KYKL, KCP,

PREPAK(pro),PREPAK, NLFT, KPDC, KLO, RPF also attended the commemoration.





The NSCN/GPRN further reaffirmed its commitment to stand by the ideals of late SS Khaplang and continue to ply the path laid by him.







Guwahati : In view of the prevailing situation especially in the aftermath of the killing of two artistes from Guwahati at Panjuri village in Assams Karbi Anglong district on Friday evening, Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Sunday held a high level meeting at his official residence in Guwahati in presence of Chief Secretary TY Das and Director General of Police Kuladhar Saikia.





The meeting took stock of the prevailing situation besides holding a threadbare discussion on all aspects of law and order in the state.





Chief Minister Sonowal asked DGP Kuladhar Saikia to ensure that the police force maintain constant vigilance on all activities and put spanner on any canards likely to vitiate public order and peace in the state.





Referring to the killing of two young artistes, he maintained that the culprits should be brought to book and no leniency should be exhibited in dealing with the incident.





The Assam CM however, was informed that inquiry into the incident is going on right direction and a few arrests related to the killing have been made.





Sonowal also said that the police should be on their toes to defeat any evil agenda of rumour and trouble mongers.





Chief Ministers Media and Legal Advisors Hrishikesh Goswami and Santanu Bharali Special DGP (Special Branch) Pallab Bhattacharyya, Additional DGP (Security) Harmeet Singh, Principal Secretary Home LS Changsan, Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister Sanjay Lohiya were present at the meeting.







Imphal : Manipur police had arrested Manipur Forest and Environment minister Th. Shyamkumars son Th. Satyajit for rash driving and injuring two policemen on duty.





Police had arrested Th. Satyajit on Friday night and produced before the Chief Judicial Magistrate in Imphal on Saturday.





The court had sent Th. Satyajit to three days in police custody for further investigation.





The Manipur Forest and Environment ministers son was charged under sections 353/279/338 of IPC for criminal assault to deter public servant from discharging their duty, rash driving and endangering life or personal safety of others.





According to the reports, the incident was took place on the busy street of MG Avenue in Imphal on Friday afternoon at around 2-30 pm.





A police vehicle had chased a black colour Honda City car with tinted windows bearing registration number of MN-01 G-0523, which was speeding towards to highway and another police vehicle, laying in wait to stop the accused car to stop at the junction of the highway.





Instead of stopping, the car rammed into the police personnel and fled.





Two policemen on duty were injured in the incident and they were identified as 41-year-old T Akhup Kom and 28-year-old Ningthoujam Anilkumar.





Later the car was stopped in front of minister Th Shyamkumars residence and police had requested the driver to step out from the car.





When the driver refused, police dragged out the driver from the car and taken into custody and identity of the driver was established as minister Th. Shyamkumars son Th. Satyajit.







Guwahati, June 11 : Rumours about child lifters (locally called Xupadhora) had fuelled the incident took place at a remote area in Assams Karbi Anglong district on Friday night, where two young men from Guwahati were lynched by a mob.





The two victims - 29-year-old Nilotpal Das and 30-year-old Abhijeet Nath - travelling in the Abhijit Naths black colour SUV, were stopped by some people at about 7-30 pm Friday last at Panjuri village under Dokmoka police station in the hill district.





The villagers had stopped the SUV after rumours spread that, two young men had abducted a child and fled in a black car.





After stopping the car, a mob had attacked on the car and also dragged out the youths.





The youths were brutally beaten to death by the mob.





An eyewitness lady of the incident said that, they seen that, the car had gone first to Kangthilangso.





When the car returned from the Kangthilangso area, a person informed some people through his mobile phone that, there is a child inside the car and

asked the local people to stop the car. Some youths of our village had stopped the car on Friday evening at around 6-30 pm and many people immediately attacked the car. The people had also attacked the two men by suspecting them as child lifter (Xupadhora), the eyewitness lady residing in Panjuri village said.





The lady further said that, the villagers alerted after several messages circulated in social media about child lifters and they had attacked the unknown person duo about their presence in their locality by suspecting

child kidnapper.





After the incident, maximum young men of Panjuri village and few others neighbouring villages have left fearing about police action.





Several bamboo sticks, other weapons and the long hair of one victim Nilotpal Das are still remaining at spot of Panjuri village, where the two artist young men were brutally lynched by some local people.





Police has arrested 19 persons so far for their alleged involvement with the incident.





On Monday, police had arrested three more persons and they were identified as 18-year-old Bor Kro, 25-year-old Khaosing Bey and 31-year-old Rupsing Kro.





Another 230 people are in police radar.





A case (33/2018) has been registered at Dokmoka police station under section 302/34 of IPC.





Meanwhile, Assam police has formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) led by Kamal Rajbongshi, Inspector of Borpathar police station including Karbi Anglong district Superintendent of Police (SP) GV Ganjawala to probe into the lynching incident.





The other members of the SIT are ASP Indrani Baruah, DSP N Singsong, Officer-in-Charge of Howraghat police station Jatin Chandra Das, Officer-in-Charge of Dokmoka police station JS Khowbung.







SINGAPORE, June 11: On the eve of their unprecedented summit, President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un prepared Tuesday for a meeting that could define the fate of millions, along with their own political futures.





Trump forecast a nice outcome, while Kim spent the day out of view as both sides finalized preparations for the meeting, which was to kick off at 9 a.m. Tuesday with a handshake between Trump and Kim, an image sure to be devoured around the world. Trump and Kim planned to meet one on one, joined only by translators, for up to two hours before admitting their respective advisers, a U.S. official said. The official was not authorized to speak publicly about internal deliberations and insisted on anonymity.





Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told reporters Monday that ongoing talks between the two countries were advancing well, but stressed the meeting would be the beginning of a process that would set the conditions for future talks.





Pompeo added that the U.S. was prepared to take action to provide North Korea with sufficient certainty that denuclearization is not something that ends badly for them.





He would not say whether that included the possibility of withdrawing U.S. troops from the Korean Peninsula, but stressed the context of the discussions was radically different than ever before.





I can only say this, Pompeo said. We are prepared to take what will be security assurances that are different, unique than Americas been willing to provide previously.





The summit will be the first between a North Korean leader and a sitting American president. In Singapore, the island city-state hosting the summit, the sense of anticipation was palpable, with people lining spotless streets Monday waving cell phones as Trump headed to meet Singapores Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.





As Trump and Lee sat down for a working lunch at the Istana house, Trump sounded optimistic, telling Lee, weve got a very interesting meeting in particular tomorrow, and I think things can work out very nicely.





Trump also called the leaders of South Korea and Japan in advance of the summit, Pompeo said.





Meanwhile, U.S. and North Korean officials huddled at the Ritz-Carlton hotel Monday ahead of the sit-down aimed at resolving a standoff over Pyongyangs nuclear arsenal. A second round of meetings was planned for the afternoon as officials worked to lay the groundwork for progress to be made Tuesday, according to the official familiar with the preparations. Delegates were outlining specific goals for what Trump and Kim should try to accomplish and multiple scenarios for how key issues can be resolved.





The meetings also served as an ice breaker of sorts as the teams worked to get better acquainted after decades of minimal U.S.-North Korea contact. In a sign of lingering tensions, the North Koreans have been closely scrutinizing all American staffers are slated to be in any U.S.-North Korea meetings, including translators, photographers and logistical staff, asking how they can be sure the American are not actually spies.





Trump and Kim arrived in Singapore on Sunday, both staying at luxurious and heavily guarded hotels less than half a mile apart, with Trump at the Shangri-La Hotel and Kim at the St. Regis Hotel.





Pompeo, the former CIA director, spent the morning preparing with his top advisers, aides said. He was joined in Singapore by Ambassador Sung Kim, the U.S. envoy to the Philippines; and Ambassador Michael McKinley, a career diplomat Pompeo recently tapped to be his senior adviser.





Pompeo traveled twice to Pyongyang in recent months to lay the groundwork for Trumps meeting, becoming the most senior member of Trumps team to spend time with Kim face to face.





Trump has said he hopes to make a legacy-defining deal for the North to give up its nuclear weapons, though he has recently sought to minimize expectations, saying additional meetings may be necessary.





Asked Saturday about his goals, he said: Well, I think the minimum would be relationship. You would start at least a dialogue, because, you know, as a deal person, I have done very well with deals.





The North has faced crippling diplomatic and economic sanctions as it has advanced development of its nuclear and ballistic missile programs.





Experts believe the North is close to being able to target the entire U.S. mainland with its nuclear-armed missiles, and while theres deep skepticism that Kim will quickly give up those hard-won nukes, theres also some hope that diplomacy can replace the animosity between the U.S. and the North.





As Trump was trying to build a bridge with Kim, he was smashing longtime alliances with Western allies, withdrawing from the G-7 joint communique, escalating a trade fight and launching blistering criticism against Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.





Trump continued to tweet angrily at Trudeau from Singapore, saying Monday Fair Trade is now to be called Fool Trade if it is not Reciprocal.





One top Trump adviser cast the move as a show of strength before the Kim meeting. Economic adviser Larry Kudlow told CBS News in Washington that Kim must not see American weakness, adding that by criticizing new tariffs, Trudeau was pouring collateral damage on this whole Korean trip.





While advisers insist Trump has been reviewing briefing materials, he says his gut instincts will matter most when he gets in the room with Kim. He told reporters he thinks he will know almost immediately whether a deal can be made, saying: I will know, just my touch, my feel. Thats what I do.





Pompeo, however, stressed the president was fully prepared.





Pyongyang has said it is willing to deal away its entire nuclear arsenal if the United States provides it with reliable security assurances and other benefits. But there are major doubts, given how hard it has been for Kim to build his program and that the weapons are seen as the major guarantee to his holding onto unchecked power.





Any nuclear deal will hinge on the Norths willingness to allow unfettered outside inspections of the countrys warheads and nuclear fuel, much of which is likely kept in a vast complex of underground facilities. Past nuclear deals have crumbled over North Koreas reluctance to open its doors to outsiders.





Another possibility from the summit is a deal to end the Korean War, which North Korea has long demanded, presumably, in part, to get U.S. troops off the Korean Peninsula and eventually pave the way for a North Korean-led unified Korea.



Polish archaeologists discover over 2000 years old lost city in Albania

Polish archaeologists discovered over 2,000 years old lost city of Bassania in Albania. The fortress was probably destroyed by the Romans at the beginning of our era. Until now, its ruins were considered to be natural rocks.

The lost city was found unexpectedly in northwestern Albania, in the area of today`s Shkoder. According to the researchers, it is probably Bassania - a city described by Roman historian Livy (59 BC - AD 17) in the context of the battles of Roman troops with the last king of Illyria, Gentius.

In May, archaeologists only uncovered part of the walls and the gate. "The defensive structures were erected from well-fitted, huge stone blocks" - told PAP head of excavations, Prof. Piotr Dyczek, director of the Antiquity of Southeastern Europe Research Centre of the University of Warsaw. The uncovered gate was accompanied by two bastions, to which powerful, more than 3 m wide defensive walls led. Their external parts were made of profiled stone blocks. The space between them was filled with small stones and earth.

According to Prof. Dyczek, this type of construction is typical for Hellenistic defensive structures. Such dating is also supported by objects the archaeologists discovered near the walls: coins and fragments of ceramic vessels from IV-I century BC. This means that the city functioned in the time of the Illyrian kingdom, which ceased to exist at the turn of the millennium after the Roman invasion.

"In recent years, we have begun to look around Shkoder for settlements and fortresses that were its economic and military base. Thanks to the use of various methods, including non-invasive ones, we have located relics of a huge ancient city" - described Prof. Dyczek.

To the surprise of the researchers, it turned out that the recently discovered city was three times larger than the ancient Shkoder - massive stone walls surrounded an area of about 20 hectares.

Researchers are wondering about the lack of information about the city in the records of travellers from few hundred years ago. "This silence of the travellers, who described the other, even small sites and individual ruins with extraordinary meticulousness, is quite puzzling. The reason could be that the city had ceased to exist so long ago that its name was forgotten" - the archaeologist suggested in an interview with PAP. Recent research confirmed that the end of the city`s existence actually falls at the beginning of the 1st century AD - the end of the reign of Emperor Octavian Augustus - and at that time it was abandoned or destroyed during the Roman invasion. "Its name could have been forgotten" - says Prof. Dyczek.

The ruins on the hill escaped attention due to its specific geological structure - the hill is formed by conglomerates and sandstones. "After centuries of erosion, the remnants of stone structures looming on the surface resemble a natural geological structure coming out onto the surface, rather than structures intentionally built by man" - described the scientist.

PAP - Science in Poland, Szymon Zdziebowski

szz/ agt/ kap/

tr. RLParadise Helicopters/ABC News(HONOLULU, HI.) -- Two new steam explosions rocked the summit of the Kilauea volcano on Hawaiis Big Island Monday morning, the latest measuring a preliminary magnitude of 5.4 and producing a minor ash fall affecting some commuters.



These explosions have been happening frequently for weeks now, U.S. Geological Survey volcanologist Rick Hazlett told ABC News, but seismic activity at Kilaueas summit is increasing.



"This is not stopping. Its going on historically in excess of what weve seen before and theres a lot of road damage from miles away," Hazlett said, referring to cracks in the road in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park that have opened up from thousands of earthquakes over the past month.



That seismic activity causes the rim and walls of the summit crater Halema?uma?u to expand, sending rocks inside, which then create the large ash and steam explosions.



More than twenty miles away from the summit, where lava vents have opened up in neighborhoods along the lower East Rift Zone, vigorous eruptions continue sending lava and toxic fumes into the air. Over the past 39 days, more than twenty fissures opened up, but the USGS said many are now inactive.



Fissure 8, however, continues to spew lava up to 180 feet in the air. This lava is then fed into a flow that goes out to the ocean at Kapoho, creating a large plume of lava haze, or "laze."



The lava flow has spread more than four-billion cubic feet of lava, according to USGS, which is enough to fill 45,400 Olympic-sized pools, and cover Manhattan Island 6.5 feet deep.



The flow now covers more than 9 square miles and has extended a portion of the coastline by a mile after swallowing Kapoho Bay.



More than 600 homes are estimated to have been destroyed by the lava so far, according to Hawaii County Mayor Harry Kim.



Although scientists can use past eruptions as a guide to predict and monitor new eruptions, according to Hazlett, they are waiting.



"Were in a holding pattern," he said. "Its just watching and waiting on a system that has a mind of its own."



"We dont see the end clearly in sight," Hazlett added.



Whats next for evacuees?



Meanwhile, volunteers, including engineers with the National Guard, are working to get new micro-dwellings built for evacuees, many of which have been living at shelters for more than a month now.



Hawaii State Representative Joy San Buenaventura told ABC News the units are meant to be temporary accommodations for those left homeless by the scorching lava flows, while they look for permanent housing. The dwellings do not have bathrooms or other utilities, but there will be a separate building for a common kitchen, showers and restrooms.



SanBuenaventura says that it could be months before evacuees find permanent housing.



"At least during fires or hurricanes there's land you can go back to," she said. "You can't rebuild on these lava zones. If lava has taken over your property, you can't rebuild on that."



With hurricane season fast approaching, getting these units up quickly is a priority.



"This provides security, this provides safety during hurricane season, this provides privacy and at least a sense of well-being that is absent when you are in a communal setting," San Buenaventura says.



The first few families are slated to move into the dwellings on June 15, according to ABC affiliate KITV in Honolulu.

Copyright  2018, ABC Radio. All rights reserved. SCOTUS keeps us waiting on remaining big (and little) criminal justice cases | Main | Spotlighting the role of prisons and jails as our modern mental health facilities 

June 11, 2018

Pew Research Center reports uptick in support for death penalty

The folks from Pew have some notable new survey research on the death penalty reported here under the headline "Public support for the death penalty ticks up." Here are the details:

Public support for the death penalty, which reached a four-decade low in 2016, has increased somewhat since then. Today, 54% of Americans favor the death penalty for people convicted of murder, while 39% are opposed, according to a Pew Research Center survey conducted in April and May. Two years ago, 49% favored the death penalty for people convicted of murder, the lowest level of support for capital punishment in surveys dating back to the early 1970s. While the share of Americans supporting the death penalty has risen since 2016, it remains much lower than in the 1990s or throughout much of the 2000s. As recently as 2007, about twice as many Americans favored (64%) as opposed (29%) the death penalty for people convicted of murder. Since the mid-1990s, support for the death penalty has fallen among Democrats and independents but remained strong among Republicans. About three-quarters of Republicans (77%) currently favor the death penalty, compared with 52% of independents and 35% of Democrats. Since 1996, support for the death penalty has fallen 27 percentage points among independents (from 79% to 52%) and 36 points among Democrats (71% to 35%). By contrast, the share of Republicans favoring the death penalty declined 10 points during that span (from 87% to 77%).... Support for the death penalty has long been divided by gender and race. In the new survey, about six-in-ten men (61%) say they are in favor of the death penalty and 34% are opposed. Womens views are more divided: 46% favor the death penalty, while 45% oppose it. A 59% majority of whites favor the death penalty for those convicted of murder, compared with 47% of Hispanics and 36% of blacks. Young people are somewhat less likely than older adults to favor capital punishment. Those younger than 30 are divided  47% favor and 46% oppose it  but majorities in older age groups support the death penalty. There are educational differences in views of the death penalty. Adults who have a postgraduate degree are more likely to oppose the use of the death penalty in cases of murder (56%) than those whose education ended with a college degree (42%) and those who never received a postsecondary degree (36% some college experience; 38% high school degree or less). White evangelical Protestants continue to back the use of the death penalty by a wide margin (73% favor, 19% oppose). White mainline Protestants also are substantially more likely to support (61%) than oppose (30%) the death penalty. But among Catholics and the religiously unaffiliated, opinion is more divided: 53% of Catholics favor capital punishment, while 42% oppose it. And while 45% of those who are religiously unaffiliated oppose the death penalty, 48% support it.

Especially because the spike in support for the death penalty here seems to be greater among Republicans and independents, I am inclined to describe these results as reflecting a "Trump Effect." Notably, this poll was taken only a month after Prez Trump and his Attorney General were actively talking up the idea of the death penalty for some drug dealers (see all the links in this post), and I cannot help but wonder if these results somewhat reflect that particular use of the bully pulpit.

June 11, 2018 at 05:01 PM | Permalink

Comments

This guy needs it. But he is being protected, privileged, and empowered by our lawyer profession.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/extradited-from-mexico-cartel-leader-gets-nearly-50-years/ar-AAyu6tj?ocid=spartandhp

Because of the total obstruction of the death penalty by pro-criminal lawyer profession, I have come to oppose it. I now support the far more effective, efficient, and cheaper, Italian Death Penalty. Put him in general population. A guard waves a carton of cigarettes. He gets stabbed 20 times, even in the back. The investigation finds he committed suicide. This is such a need methodology, common in Italy. We should learn from them.



Italy also has professional judges, who are also inquisitorial. I strongly support that approach as well.

Posted by: David Behar | Jun 12, 2018 1:06:03 AM

Mavaffanculo !!!! Stronzo!!!! Mentecatto!!!! Idiota !!!!!

Posted by: Claudio Giusti | Jun 12, 2018 8:39:20 AM

Post a commentThe gravity of the existential threat we face from Islamic Jihad is truly of epic proportions. It is essentially a battle pitting free-civilized man against a totalitarian barbarian. What is at stake is the struggle for our very soul - namely who we are and what we represent. The lives that were sacrificed for individual rights and freedoms that we've come to cherish are being chiseled away from right under our noses by the stealth jihadists. And many of us are in denial and totally clueless.



The left's appeasement and pandering to evil is nothing new. What makes their utopian delusions so infuriating and unpardonable is that it is not only they who will have to pay the consequences, and deservedly, so, they are thwarting and undermining our best efforts at resistance and are thus dragging us down in the process as well.







By Peter Lancz,, the head of the Raoul Wallenberg World Campaign Against Racism.June 12 marks two years since a gunman killed 49 people inside the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Fla.

Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer and Orange County Mayor Teresa Jacobs are expected to attend a ceremony at an interim memorial that opened last month at the nightclub. Equality Florida, a statewide LGBT advocacy group, and the Florida Coalition to Prevent Gun Violence on June 11 will hold a rally at Orlando City Hall in support of gun control.

Organizers of the annual Pride parade in the Puerto Rican capital of San Juan on June 3 held a moment of silence for the victims at the U.S. commonwealths first LGBT-specific monument that Mayor Carmen Yulin Cruz formally unveiled two weeks after the massacre.

Nearly half of those who were killed inside Pulse were LGBT Puerto Ricans. The June 3 ceremony took place less than nine months after Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico.

A monument to LGBT Puerto Ricans in Third Millennium Park in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Organizers of the citys annual Pride parade on June 3, 2018, held a moment of silence for the victims of the Pulse nightclub massacre. (Washington Blade photo by Michael K. Lavers)

Christine Leinonen, whose son, Christopher Drew Leinonen, was killed inside Pulse alongside his partner, Juan Guerrero, does not plan to participate in any of the commemoration events. Christine Leinonen described her son as definitely one of the good guys when she spoke with the Blade on Tuesday.

He made life easy, she said. He made life easy for everyone around him.

Axel Rodriguez, an Orlando resident who was born in Puerto Rico, was friends with Xavier Serrano Rosado, who was killed inside Pulse.

I have not forgotten any of the 49 souls that died, Rodriguez told the Blade on Tuesday. I will never, ever forget my friend Xavier.

Rodriguez said he has visited Serranos grave in the Puerto Rican city of Ponce. Rodriguez told the Blade he is still not able to visit Pulse.

Gun control part of LGBTQ conversation in Fla.

The Associated Press reported the onePULSE Foundation, of which Pulse owner Barbara Poma is executive director, will begin its search for architects who will design a permanent memorial next month. This years commemorations are also taking place against the backdrop of renewed calls for gun control.

A gunman on Valentines Day killed 17 students and faculty at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla. The Pulse nightclub massacre had been the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history until a gunman killed 58 people and injured more than 500 others when he opened fire during a country music festival in Las Vegas on Oct. 1, 2017.

Florida Gov. Rick Scott  who, along with state Attorney General Pam Bondi, faced widespread criticism in the days after the Pulse nightclub massacre when they did not specifically mention the LGBT community  after the Marjory Douglas shooting signed into a law a $400 million bill that, among other things, banned the sale of bump stocks and raised the minimum age to buy a gun in Florida from 18 to 21.

Equality Florida CEO Nadine Smith  who is a vocal critic of Scott and U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) over gun control and other issues  on Tuesday told the Blade the fact that Scott signed the bill the National Rifle Association opposed tells you theres a loosening of the organizations grip.

Scotts press secretary, Ashley Cook, in a statement to the Blade noted Scott, who is running against U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.), in the aftermath of the Pulse nightclub

massacre

met with survivors and victims families and saw Floridians show their resilience, strength

and

love for each other.

The horrific terror attack at Pulse was heartbreaking, said Cook. Governor Scott will always honor the memory of the victims and the loss suffered by their families.

Cooks statement did not specifically mention the LGBT community. Rubios office did not respond to the Blades request for comment.

We have made the gun violence conversation part of the LGBTQ conversation in our state, said Smith.

Christine Leinonen also remains a vocal gun control advocate.

She and Dru Project Vice President Brandon Wolf, who was with Christopher Drew Leinonen and Guerrero when they were killed inside Pulse, marched with a Human Rights Campaign contingent at the March for Our Lives that took place in D.C. after the Marjory Stoneman massacre. Christine Leinonen on Tuesday said electing strong Democrats and encouraging parents not to keep guns in their homes are among what she described as her seven practical steps to make us safer from mass shootings.

Our homes have been robbed because of gun violence, Wolf told the Blade on Tuesday.High-ranking diplomats who implement U.S. foreign policy this week attended Pride month celebrations.

Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan and U.S. Rep. Mark Takano (D-Calif.) on Tuesday delivered remarks at GLIFAAs annual Pride month reception at the State Department. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo did not attend the event, but he issued a Pride month statement on June 1.

The United States joins people around the world in celebrating lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) Pride month and reaffirms its commitment to protecting and defending the human rights of all, including LGBTI persons, said Pompeo.

U.S. Agency for International Development Administrator Mark Green and former Arizona Congressman Jim Kolbe on Wednesday spoke at USAIDs annual Pride month reception.

I want to say thank you to all of my LGBTI colleagues who are here today, said Green, who in his remarks specifically acknowledged Xulhaz Mannan, a prominent LGBTI activist and former USAID employee in Bangladesh who was murdered in 2016. Your voice is important individually, but also together. Your advocacy and your voice individually and all together makes us a stronger agency and it makes us a better agency, and I think makes us a more responsive agency.

U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley on Wednesday acknowledged Pride month in a statement.

This June, we join our friends in the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) community around the world who are celebrating Pride month, said Haley. At the U.N. we see the importance of defending freedoms of LGBTI persons from governments that violate their own peoples human rights.

The United States embraces personal freedom, rejects discrimination and supports the global LGBTI community in standing up for their human rights, she added.

U.S. embassies and consulates in Paraguay, Cuba and other countries have publicly acknowledged Pride month and the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia by raising the rainbow flag and holding receptions with LGBTI rights advocates.

It was an honor to preside over the first public ceremony of the raising of the rainbow flag during LGBTI Pride month today at the embassy, said U.S. Ambassador to Paraguay Lee McClenny on his Twitter page on Wednesday. The fight to protect the rights, dignity and equity of all people is a task that we must undertake together.

The Trump administration continues to promote LGBTI rights abroad. This years Pride month is nevertheless taking place against the backdrop of growing criticism over the White Houses domestic LGBT rights record and its overall foreign policy.

Newly installed U.S. Ambassador to Germany Richard Grenell, who is openly gay, has sparked controversy with comments that include his desire to empower European conservatives. U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) on Monday said Grenell should be recalled immediately if he is unwilling to refrain from political statements.

Pompeo earlier this year during his confirmation hearing sparked widespread criticism among LGBTI rights advocates when he did not specifically say whether he thinks being gay is a perversion. Pompeos opposition to marriage rights for same-sex couples and the repeal of Dont Ask, Dont Tell also came under scrutiny before the U.S. Senate confirmed him to succeed Rex Tillerson.

In many parts of the world, LGBTI individuals and their supporters continue to face violence, arrest, harassment and intimidation for standing up for their human rights, participating in peaceful marches and rallies, expressing their views, and simply being who they are, said Pompeo in his Pride month statement. LGBTI persons  like all persons  must be free to enjoy their human rights and fundamental freedoms, including freedom of expression, peaceful assembly, and association, without fear of reprisal. As Americans, we place a high value on these rights and freedoms, which all persons deserve to enjoy fully and equally.Le Collectif Cheikh Yassine a organise un certain nombre dactivites et de festivites pour les enfants de Gaza sous le theme  La joie des enfants de Gaza pour lAid . Ces activites ont commence le premier jour de lAid et continue jusquau 4eme jour de lAid dans la bande de Gaza.



Plusieurs activites, ont ete organisees parmi lesquelles : des competitions recompensees par des prix, des jeux, des animations et des chants presentes par un groupe ainsi que des distributions de cadeaux et daides financieres.



On June 11, NASA's Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope celebrates a decade of using gamma rays, the highest-energy form of light in the cosmos, to study black holes, neutron stars, and other extreme cosmic objects and events.

"Fermi's first 10 years have produced numerous scientific discoveries that have revolutionized our understanding of the gamma-ray universe," said Paul Hertz, Astrophysics Division director at NASA Headquarters in Washington.

By scanning the sky every three hours, Fermi's main instrument, the Large Area Telescope (LAT), has observed more than 5,000 individual gamma-ray sources, including an explosion called GRB 130427A, the most powerful gamma-ray burst scientists have detected.

In 1949, Enrico Fermi -- an Italian-American pioneer in high-energy physics and Nobel laureate for whom the mission was named -- suggested that cosmic rays, particles traveling at nearly the speed of light, could be propelled by supernova shock waves. In 2013, Fermi's LAT used gamma rays to prove these stellar remnants are at least one source of the speedy particles.

Fermi's all-sky map, produced by the LAT, has revealed two massive structures extending above and below the plane of the Milky Way. These two "bubbles" span 50,000 light-years and were probably produced by the supermassive black hole at the center of the galaxy only a few million years ago.

"The astronomy of gamma rays is the science of extremes," said Julie McEnery, the Fermi project scientist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. "Extreme gravity, extreme magnetic fields -- Fermi has opened a window on to some of the most interesting physics and structures in the universe."

The Gamma-ray Burst Monitor (GBM), Fermi's secondary instrument, can see the entire sky at any instant, except the portion blocked by Earth. The satellite has observed over 2,300 gamma-ray bursts, the most luminous events in the universe. Gamma-ray bursts occur when massive stars collapse or neutron stars or black holes merge and drive jets of particles at nearly the speed of light. In those jets, matter travels at different speeds and collides, emitting gamma rays.

On Aug. 17, 2017, Fermi detected a gamma-ray burst from a powerful explosion in the constellation Hydra. At almost the same time, the National Science Foundation's Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory detected ripples in space-time from the same event, the merger of two neutron stars. This was the first time light and gravitational waves were detected from the same source. Scientists also used another gamma-ray burst detected by Fermi to confirm Einstein's theory that space-time is smooth and continuous.

The GBM has also spotted over 5,000 terrestrial gamma-ray flashes in Earth's atmosphere associated with thunderstorms, as well as particles of antimatter those flashes can produce.

"Fermi has fundamentally improved our understanding of how the universe operates," said David Thompson, a Fermi deputy project scientist at Goddard. "This spacecraft has both provided evidence for long-cherished theories and has also forced the scientific community to reevaluate some of its assumptions."

But space can be a difficult working environment. On April 3, 2012, Fermi dodged a potential collision with Cosmos 1805, a defunct Soviet Cold War spy satellite, when the team fired Fermi's decommissioning thrusters to move it to safety.

Fermi experienced its first hardware failure on March 16, when one of its solar panels became stuck. The Fermi team has adopted a new observation strategy to accommodate the jammed solar panel, and both instruments continue to scan the gamma-ray universe.

"The Fermi observatory has so much flexibility that this glitch has only minor impact on science operations," McEnery said. "Fermi is well prepared to continue operations for many years, and we look forward to many more discoveries about the high-energy universe."



Please follow SpaceRef on Twitter and Like us on Facebook.We can't seem to find the page you are looking for.

You may have typed the address incorrectly or you may have used an outdated link.ABOUT 120 high definition and high resolution cameras will be installed on utility poles throughout Providenciales in the first phase of a police run CCTV initiative.





The project is being implemented to help curb criminal activity and to create a sense of safety across the territory.





This Tuesday (June 5) the Government joined forces with FortisTCI and together they signed an agreement to fund the scheme.





TCIG will pay for the energy usage of the cameras while the energy company will waive all pole attachment fees over the next three years.





Signing on behalf of the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force, Acting Governor Anya Williams said she is pleased to see the project come to fruition.





She stressed it will help the police to "actively monitor various areas throughout the country and assist in identifying criminal offenders.





Williams added: "Im sure these efforts will help our citizens, residents and visitors alike, to feel safer, knowing that surveillance cameras are a further aid to protecting our streets.





FortisTCI president and CEO Eddinton Powell said he strongly believes in the importance of public-private partnership in building a robust Turks and Caicos Islands.





"The company is pleased to support the police with its CCTV project, and will continue to offer its support and partner in ways that promote solutions that are beneficial to the country, he said.





Commissioner of Police James Smith announced in a press conference on May 1 that about 120 high definition and high resolution cameras will be installed across Providenciales.





The project includes a monitoring control room that will be manned 24 hours a day by a police inspector and 911 support staff.





The commissioner also stated that in phase two, cameras will be installed in Grand Turk and other islands.





Smith said: "CCTV assists many countries around the world in monitoring and solving criminal activity and gathering evidence to solve other types of misconduct.





"It may also aid in deterring illegal activity from occurring in the first place, particularly where monitors are known to be installed.





CCTV is also a major initiative in the United Kingdom with the Surveillance Camera Commissioner reporting annually on one of the largest known programmes worldwide.





According to the City of Londons police website: "The City of London Police Public Space Surveillance Camera System is one of the many tools used to tackle crime and anti-social behaviour across the City of London.





"Use of public space surveillance cameras allows the police to monitor the streets and public spaces.





The project will be led by TCIG and the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police, in conjunction with their contractor for the installation and operation of all surveillance cameras.





The project is expected to commence in the coming weeks.



By Delana Isles

DELEGATES from several Commonwealth nations were this week given the arduous task of measuring the cost of corruption in Caribbean countries.





They were taking part in a four day Commonwealth Caribbean Association of Integrity Commissions and Anti-Corruption Bodies (CCAICACB) conference being held at Beaches Resort and Spa in Providenciales.





The conference, which is in its fourth year, is being sponsored by the Commonwealth Secretariat, the TCI Integrity Commission and the TCI Government under the theme, Counting the real cost of corruption - Engaging everyone in the fight.





It began with an opening ceremony on Monday (June 4).





Representatives from most of the Commonwealth Caribbean and Latin American countries, non-Commonwealth countries such as Haiti, Dominican Republic as well as regional and international stakeholder institutions and resource persons in anti-corruption were in attendance.





Also in attendance were Acting Governor Anya Williams, Premier Sharlene Cartwright Robinson, Leader of the Opposition Washington Misick, Speaker of the House of Assembly, Dwayne Taylor, Chief Magistrate Margaret Ramsay-Hale, several government ministers and other members of government.





Eugene Otuonye QC, chairman of the association and director of the TCI Integrity Commission, gave brief welcoming remarks to the delegates.





"Its going to be hard work counting the cost of corruption in the region, and endeavouring to engage everyone in the fight against corruption.





"I know its not going to be easy, it is not going to be easy, Otuonye said.





Dr Roger Koranteng, interim adviser and head of public sector governance at the Commonwealth Secretariat, in his remarks offered apologises for the Commonwealth secretary general Patricia Scotland QCs absence at the conference.





He also reflected that many people who are accused of corruption in most cases win, and urged his fellow delegates to take cognisance of that and provide adequate resources to investigate crimes.





He said they should adequately equip integrity commissions and anti-corruption bodies, and provide protection for whistle blowers and witnesses in order to win the fight, otherwise they wont.





He named the Bahamas, St Vincent and Grenadines, Dominica and St Lucia as ranking among the least corrupt countries in the world out of 180, according to transparency international 2017 corruption report.





He said that other Caribbean countries are reporting positive changes, naming Guyana and Jamaica among them.





He also noted that since the establishment of the association, which has been offering important knowledge to member countries, there has been a strengthening of integrity commissions and anti-corruption bodies as a result of the networking the association has encouraged and collaborated.





The real cost

In a video message, Secretary General Patricia Scotland delivered brief remarks on the real cost of corruption in the Caribbean, which she said wrecks lives and undermines social and economic programmes.





"Succeed we must. Increasingly fraud and corruption disregard regional and international boundaries, sowe the holders of justice and integrity have to work together ever more closely on preventative action and share knowledge and innovation.





"That is the value of the commonwealth collaboration.





Premier Cartwright Robinson shared that the Government supports the critical work of the commission on fighting corruption in the TCI.





"Whilst this is only the fourth annual meetingI commend this body (CCAICACB) for its formation, for the great strides being made across the region and I wish to assure you of my support and my Governments support, the premier said.





She stated that the Government is working to ensure that the world and the region recognises that the TCI is taking a stance to ensure that it enjoys and practises the highest level of integrity in public life and anti-corruption.





She acknowledged that much is still left to be done both locally and regionally in terms of education.





The association was established under the auspices of the Commonwealth Secretariat, London, United Kingdom, during the inaugural conference of the association, held in 2015 in Grenada.





Since then, the Commonwealth Secretariat London, has continued to be the major sponsor of the

associations conferences, which provide regional and international forums for delegates to share experiences, exchange ideas, strategies and best practices and trends in their anti-corruption efforts in the Caribbean.





Other speakers at the conference over the course of the week and their topics included: TCI Attorney General Rhondalee Braithwaite-Knowles who spoke on, The cost of corruption: The

TCI story.





Sir David Simmons, former Chief Justice of Barbados and the Chairman of the TCI Integrity Commission, gave a presentation on, Apathy towards corruption - The Caribbean experience.





Representatives from Transparency International were also slated to speak on Criteria for transparency International Corruption Perception Index (CPI): Implications for the Caribbean.





Dr Roger Koranteng concluded with "Conference take-home, emerging issues, lessons. What next?





Besides the panel discussions which explored various aspects of the conference theme in detail, the conference offered delegates the opportunities to make presentations and share their respective countrys success stories and challenges in their anti-corruption and good governance efforts.





Delegates were also treated to several cultural presentations during the opening ceremony by David Bowen, Dismercy Lugo and students of the Long Bay High School.



Woman discharged of firearm crimes, man committed to trial





CHIEF Justice Margaret Ramsay-Hale last week discharged a woman who along with her male partner had been arrested on a number of illegal firearm and ammunition charges.





When Dakeisha Bassett and Jim Kelly appeared before the Supreme Court on Friday, June 1, for their sufficiency hearing on the joint charges, the judge found that the evidence supplied by the prosecution and the police did not relate to Bassett.





However, the evidence against Kelly was compelling and he was committed to stand trial.





He will return to court on June 29 for his plea and direction hearing.





Earlier this year, the couple were arrested by police in their Blue Hills home where the illegal gun and ammunition were discovered.





Rape accused for trial

Another man, Anthony Dale Nation, has also been committed to stand trial by madam chief justice.





Nation has been charged with several counts of unlawful carnal knowledge of a pre-teen girl.





He too will return to court for his plea and direction hearing on June 29.





Malix Cox to face trial for murder of Andreika Stubbs

One of the two men charged with the murder of Andreika Stubbs has been committed to stand trial.





Malix Cox, 20, who along with Anthony Francis is accused of killing Stubbs on March 23, will return to court on June 29 for his plea and direction hearing.





When he appeared before the chief justice on June 1, it was determined that there is enough evidence against him to commit him to trial.





However, there was no sign of Coxs co-accused, Francis.





The two men are also charged with causing grievous bodily harm to a 17-year-old boy who was injured during the club Versace parking lot shooting that resulted in Stubbs death.





Cox is being represented in his case by attorney Lara Maroof-Misick.





He remains on remand at Her Majestys Prison in Grand Turk.





Another accused rapist to face judge and jury

Thirty-two-year-old Patrick Delancy will soon face a judge and jury on charges of rape and indecent assault.





On June 1, Chief Justice Margaret Ramsay-Hale found that there is sufficient evidence to commit Delancy to trial on the charges.





She also granted him $2,000 bail until his next court appearance on June 29.





Delancy is accused, along with wanted man Hayward McIntosh, of rape and indecent assault of a woman on April 8.





The crime is alleged to have been committed in the North West Point district of Providenciales.





Police are still looking for 32-year-old McIntosh who is a resident of Providenciales.





A wanted bulletin with his name and photograph was released to the public two months ago, and police continue to appeal to the public for information on his whereabouts.





Three years imprisonment for marijuana possession

Two Haitian illegal migrants - Robert St Remy and Robenson Kersait - have each been sentenced to serve three years at Her Majestys Prison after admitting to illegal drug possession.





At the time of their arrest the two men were residents of Five Cays after having arrived in the Turks and Caicos Islands via illegal Haitian sloops several weeks ago.





Acting on information received, police entered the community where they confronted the men.





It was during the arrest that officers discovered that a bag the men were carrying contained a large quantity of cannabis.





They were charged and subsequently remanded to prison by a magistrate in Providenciales.





On June 1, they both pleaded guilty to the offence and were sentenced by the chief justice when they appeared for their sufficiency hearing.



By Olivia Rose

MINISTER of Health Hon Edwin Astwood has landed in hot water over statements he made on national radio where he admitted knowing a local "smuggler whom he is yet to report.





The ministers comments have sparked outrage among members of the TCI public, with some calling for his immediate resignation.





However, the minister said this response shows how people in the territory are "quick to try to make criminals out of each other.





Human trafficking has long been a burning issue and the territory has recently experienced an unprecedented influx of illegal migrants especially from neighbouring Haiti.





Astwood during an interview on Radio Turks and Caicos said: "Its not all persons from Haiti. In fact, I can tell you that many Haitian persons living amongst us are very upset with their own people and they would come and apologise for people who they do not know.





"They would say Hey, look I hate what my people are doing to your country, so I just want to say that its not all Haitian people that is involved with this and in the same breath I must tell you that there are Turks and Caicos Islanders who are involved with it.





The minister went on to relate that one of his childhood associates is a known smuggler whom he confronted about his illegal activities.





He said: "I know a gentleman who I grew up with and apparently I got wind that hes into this smuggling and I went and approach him about it and the answer he gave me, I just looked at him and couldnt say nothing.





"After I questioned him on it, he said Look minister, you make your money leave me and let me make mymoney. All I could do was look.





That statement is not sitting well with former minister of home affairs George Lightbourne who took to his social media page to express his upset.





In a Facebook post, Lightbourne accused the minister of enabling the scourge of trafficking, which is gnawing at the territorys social and economic fabric.





He said: "It is my opinion that the minister is complicit by withholding information which no doubt is a threat to our national security.





"The question is, who is he covering up for? Who is this childhood friend? And why havent the authorities questioned him?





"When I looked at the video of Ellery James and the marks he sustained on his body as a result of running behind illegal immigrants, it saddens me to know that a government minister has information about someone who is responsible for aiding and facilitating these sloops but refuses to report it to the police.





"Every decent, right thinking Turks and Caicos Islander should be outraged and concerned.





"I am therefore calling on the police to please investigate, interrogate or do whatever you have to do to obtain the name of this individual.





He stressed that ministers of government should uphold the law not conceal the identity of criminals.





Astwood responded under his post: "How can you conclude this? It amazes me how we are quick to implicate others, especially on such serious issues.





"Please tell me why do I have to expose who I made my report to and what I reported. That would be exposing others and putting them at risk.





"Therefore if you all want to make those conclusions feel free, but this is exactly what is wrong with our country - we are quick to pass judgement and opinions on our people, and quick to try to make criminals out of each other.





"And if you all want to use me to make political statements please do, but DO NOT pass your opinions as truth, especially if you do not have any information on a particular subject.





Meanwhile, former education minister Josephine Connolly said in a statement: "I was very surprised in the minister of health for saying this on national radio given the strength of feeling surrounding the sloops and the national security implications.





"However, I am content to leave this in the hands of the police and the Integrity Commission to see if any further action needs to be taken.





All efforts to contact the minister up to press time for a response have proved futile.



By Delana Isles

REPORTS reaching the Weekly News late last week are that prisoners at Her Majestys Prison in Grand Turk have been assaulting prison guards and a high ranking official at the facility.





Over the past fortnight, six officers were allegedly assaulted during five incidents carried out by four inmates, according to sources at the prison.





It is being alleged that double murder accused, Christopher Forbes of the Bahamas, attacked and assaulted the Deputy Superintendent of Prisons and another prison staff with a water cooler and a bench.





Forbes is also alleged to have assaulted another officer with a rock which resulted in injuries so severe he had to be treated at the hospital.





Another prisoner, Jean Max Germai, who is reportedly serving a five year sentence for firearm offences, allegedly attacked and assaulted a native Grand Turk prison officer.





Lorenzo Caesar, who is serving eight years for attempted robbery, attacked and assaulted a veteran Guyanese prison officer.





Yet another attack involved prisoner Steve Remy Gardiner allegedly assaulting one of the newly hired Jamaican prison officer, who reports said had to be flown out by chartered flight to Providenciales to be treated.





That officer was injured to his eye and will now have to seek further treatment overseas, reports said.





Gardiner is on remand for offences of rape and robberies.





The recent attacks come shortly after the tenure of the SERCO officers out of the United Kingdom came to an end.





Three senior officers from the SERCO have remained to continue training with the new Superintendents administrative team.





The prison is again understaffed as over the past few months, several prison officers were suspended for various offences.





The issue of violence against the prison wardens is a frequent occurrence, which had tapered off during the UK officers tenure, however there appears to be a return to the violence now that most of them have returned home, and the penitentiary runs on low manpower.





Efforts to reach the new prison superintendent and the Minister of Home Affairs were unsuccessful up to press time.



By Olivia Rose

STRENGTHENING the regions ability to withstand natural disasters will require countries to restructure fiscal policies, fortify infrastructure and implement psychosocial programmes.





This is according to governor of the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank (ECCB), Timothy Antoine.





Antoine was at the time speaking at a seminar on Building resilient cities, which was held as part of the Caribbean Development Banks (CDB) 48th Board of Governors Annual Meeting hosted in Grenada from May 30 to 31.





The ECCB governor stressed that resilience requires countries to be able to "withstand, adapt and rapidly recover from events and shocks. This, he said, will require a holistic approach.





Antoine noted that one of the key tenets of this approach includes building fiscal and debt resilience.





"It is the worst possible time after a hurricane to be trying to restructure or renegotiate debt.





"The precious resources in the Ministry of Finance have to be focused on rebuilding, he said.





The governor called for the introduction of "state-contingent debt instruments to build debt resilience.





These instruments link debt-service payments to a countrys capacity to pay, which is further linked to qualifying events such as natural disasters.





In the event of a natural hazard, debt payments are automatically reduced or paused.





He said: "For a qualifying event disaster of a certain magnitude, there will be a stand-still, such that it will not constitute a default.





"And that will of course allow the country to have much needed liquidity and begin the recovery process without the need for a default event.





However, he noted that fiscal and debt resilience is just one tenet of the holistic approach.





"We have to invest in terms of building resilient cities, building resilient communities, in psychosocial infrastructure.





"And we have to make sure that infrastructure is in place and can be deployed very rapidly in the event of a disaster, said Antoine.





Also weighing in on how countries could build more disaster-resilient cities, Premier Sharlene Cartwright Robinson said a participatory approach is necessary.





"In order for any policy initiative to work there has to be buy-in from the individual.





"The greatest challenge of course is for the minds of Caribbean persons to appreciate disasters are here with us.





Cartwright Robinson, underscored the need to educate stakeholders on how to better prepare, given the increasing frequency of hurricanes.





The seminar provided attendees with a preview of CDBs upcoming Urban Sector Policy and Operational Guidelines and brought together experts to discuss solutions to, and progress made in addressing the regions urban sector challenges.





Bouncing back

CDB president Dr Wm Warren Smith in his opening statement also encouraged regional leaders to work proactively to address the regions vulnerabilities, and support resilience-building, energy, agriculture and air transport sectors.





He shared perspectives on resilience, examined regional success stories and lessons learned, and pointed to opportunities for the Caribbean to triumph over recent setbacks - including the impacts of the 2017 Atlantic hurricane season.





"Our region has had to cope with countless natural disasters and other shocks throughout its history.





"And we have demonstrated repeatedly our ability to bounce back from such disastrous events.





"However, our responses have been largely reactionary; and the cost of responding has been rising steadily, undermining other efforts to get onto a sustainable development platform, the president added.





Smith urged regional leaders to climate-proof their countries energy systems and invest in renewable energy and energy efficiency to build economic resilience.





In addition, he highlighted opportunities that technological advances and price reductions in renewables present.





"Taking advantage of these opportunities, as well as the wide-scale adoption of energy-efficiency measures, will assist in laying the basis for economic resilience through reductions in the public sectors expenditure on energy; strengthening the fiscal balance; reducing borrowing requirements; and, as a consequence, reducing the pressure on countries foreign reserves, Smith said.



By Olivia Rose

CABINET has recently considered a proposal for the development of a Six Senses resort on the island of Salt Cay  eight years after plans for a similar project were shelved.





The resort, if given the go ahead, would create hundreds of new jobs, boost tourism and transform the small islands economy.





Although the Government is yet to make a definitive decision on the fate of the resort, a reliable source has informed the Weekly News that serious consideration has been given to the proposal.





In early 2010 Salt Cay Devco signed an agreement with Six Senses Resort and Spas to build a $200 million resort on Salt Cay.





The company was owned by financier Mario Hoffmann, who made the TCI his second home in 1999, and CEO Stefan Kral.





The project comprised a total of 40 one-bedroom villa suites, two-bedroom villa suites and three-bedroom retreats, plus 13 four-bedroom residential villas.





Its developers had even planned to bring a number of the old salt pans, once the focal point of the thriving industry, back into use - a first for the TCI.





In 2009 during the Commission of Inquiry the Slovakian firm had come under intense fire for allegedly bullying dissident residents along with making apparent unsavoury deals with the former ousted Government.





In August 2010, the then governor Gordon Wetherell said the controversial scheme could not move ahead before the outcome of upcoming corruption investigations, and the project was shelved.





The Salt Cay Devco bosses rigorously denied all of the claims from the outset and said Governor Wetherell had no legal grounds for stopping them surging ahead.





However, in 2012 in an out of court settlement Mario Hoffmann surrendered his Belongership and handed back 1,506 acres of Salt Cay land to the Government.





Hoffmann and the Salt Cay Development Companies also agreed to contribute to TCIGs costs.





The Slovak businessman refused to admit any wrongdoing and continued to maintain his innocence.





Salt Cay which is scattered with historical sites and ruins from the salt raking days, has overtime excited the enthusiasm of historians, photographers and tourists alike who enjoy exploring these many attractions.





Because of the islands coveted raw and untouched beauty, developers have clamoured for an opportunity to build resorts and hotels on the island.



A MANUAL is being created for the National Insurance Board (NIB) which will provide clear processes and principles for governing the institution.





Canadian consulting firm Morneau Shepell is putting together the document which is expected to be adopted later this year.





According to acting CEO Rhesa Cartwright the board and management undertook the initiative to strengthen the NIBs governance framework





"The objective of the exercise is to develop a policy manual with properly established guiding principles and sound corporate governance processes to guide the conduct of the business of the board, she said in a statement on May 31.





The manual will clarify the role of the board of directors in controlling and monitoring performance across the institution.





It will also define a more formal structure to empower managers to conduct business efficiently and effectively within clearly defined parameters and according to a commonly applied set of guiding principles.





The crafting of the manual will take into consideration various bits of legislation including the National Insurance Ordinance and Regulations, the National Audit Ordinance, the Public Finance Management Ordinance, the Public Procurement Ordinance, and the good governance principles as defined by the International Social Security Association.





During the consultancy firms first visit for the project in early May, meetings were held with Premier, Sharlene Cartwright Robinson, Minister with responsibility for National Insurance, the board of directors and the management team.





NIB management has also embarked on an initiative to develop a risk management framework for the institution.





Rhesa Cartwright said: "The board and management appreciates the importance of having a proper system in place to manage risk, including the identification and mitigation of various risk factors.





The risk management framework is also scheduled to be implemented in 2018.



A GLOBAL champion for gender equality is offering psychosocial support to people in the TCI to promote wellness and healthy coping skills.





Two consultants have been contracted by UN Women to provide expertise on gender responsive psychosocial support intervention.





Dr Peter Weller and Catherine Boland completed the first of their two trips this spring.





The aim of the initial visit was to conduct a mapping exercise, identify training needs and meet with key stakeholders particularly those related to the hurricane Irma response.





Based on their findings, the pair are returning to the TCI from June 11 to 16 to conduct follow up mental health and psychosocial support services with an emphasis on gender based violence.





Dr Peter Weller from Jamaica and residing in Trinidad and Tobago is a clinical psychologist with extensive work in community-based initiatives, the process of intentional behaviour change, and engaging men in exploring their concerns and partnering with women to achieve gender equality and social justice.





Catherine Boland from the US is an experienced international psychosocial health and development consultant with extensive work supporting the advancement of services for children and families in emergency and post-disaster settings.





The Department of Gender Affairs and the Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse organised the support to provide gender responsive emergency services to women, men and their families.





The visits are part of the response to hurricane Irma and in preparation for the upcoming hurricane season.





During the week of June 11, the departments visitors will host Lunch and Learn Sessions for ministry staff.





The focus will be, Healthy coping skills minimise stress which is good for you and good for all your relationships especially in emergencies and during times of crisis.





Core content is expected to include discussions around culture, crises and self-care, typical stress responses, healthy and unhealthy coping, and caring for one-self and others.





Meetings with leadership committees will also take place to provide an opportunity to raise awareness of the importance of a gendered response in wellness and psychosocial support services.





More information is available from the Department of Gender Affairs on 338-2686 or the Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse on 338-4737.



SCOTIABANK is closing its Grand Turk and Grace Bay branches as part of a scheme to "consolidate its facilities.





By the end of the year all services will be run from the current head office at ScotiaCentre on Cherokee Road in Providenciales.





Premier Sharlene Cartwright Robinson said the decision is "rather unfortunate and "could not come at a worse time for the territory.





She said she has spoken to the bank expressing concerns about the staff and customers with hopes of being able to "avert the changes.





Failing this, the Government will assist with minimising the impact of the closures, the premier said.





Scotiabank made the announcement in a statement to press on Thursday (June 7).





It read: "In order to preserve the standard of service and multiplicity of specialised services offered in the region, the bank has decided to streamline its branch model.





"This initiative will see the implementation of a banking facility that houses more services under one roof.





The head office, which currently houses the retail branch, corporate and commercial banking and the managing directors offices, will become the new home for the full suite of services.





"As the bank undergoes these changes to align with the regional format, the Grace Bay and Grand Turk operations will ultimately consolidate into the ScotiaCentre facility, the statement said.





The closure of the Grace Bay branch will take place on July 20 with the Grand Turk branch closing on September 28.





All banking operations will remain business as usual until that time.





Curtis Knight, acting country manager at Scotiabank (Turks and Caicos), said: "We are confident that this move will support the overall objectives of the bank, and promote the long-term sustainability of Scotiabank in the Turks and Caicos Islands.





"We appreciate the loyalty of our customers and commit to working with them to ensure a smooth transition.





In a statement to press on Thursday, the premier said that she along with Deputy Premier Sean Astwood met with Scotiabanks managing director and the regional compliance head to discuss the banks upcoming plans.





"We were informed that the bank intends to consolidate its operations into one centre which is located on Leeward Highway.





"This meant that the branches at Grand Turk and in Grace Bay will be consolidated to this location.





She said that on receiving the news she contacted Leader of the Opposition Washington Misick who was also given the opportunity to speak with the banks representatives.





"We were informed that this is a continuation of what has already happened in the Bahamas and now Cayman Islands, BVI and the Turks and Caicos Islands and was the banks direction to direct its customers more to use the heavily invested technological systems while allowing staff to focus on strategic goals.





She said they outlined their concerns to the bank about its staff and its customers in light of the hurricane recovery and challenging internet services.





"We also requested of the bank that its representatives meet with the public of Grand Turk and allow them to share their concerns and to advise on how the services will continue, she said.





"This request has gone forward for consideration.





Cartwright Robinson said the Government understands that it is a corporate decision and is grateful that the dates were staggered.





"We are aware of the staff challenges and the fact that the decision has been made from the highest office in Canada.





"However, we believe that this is a rather unfortunate decision that could not come at a worse time, she said.





Bank representatives also met with the acting governor and the labour commissioner on Thursday.





"We will continue our discussions with the bank and critical stakeholders on this issue to see how we might be able to avert this decision, failing which, then how we may be able to assist with minimising the impact of the closure of the physical space on the communities in Grand Turk, the premier said.





Customer communication with details on this change and specific information relative to their personal accounts will be made available in the coming weeks.





Scotiabank has been in the Caribbean for over 129 years and in the Turks and Caicos Islands for over 35 years.





"Hurricanes Irma and Maria devastated a number of the countries in which Scotiabank operates, including the Turks and Caicos Islands, the banks statement read.





"The impact of these hurricanes is still being felt on a personal level with both customers and staff, as well on a business level.



By Olivia Rose

THE EFFECTIVENESS of the TCIs anti-money laundering legislative and regulatory framework will come under scrutiny when the Caribbean Financial Action Task Force (CFATF) conducts an onsite visit later this year.





During the second and third weeks in September the organisation will meet with public and private sector stakeholders to conduct a comprehensive evaluation of the territorys financial services sector.





The TCI has been subject to scrutiny under the CFATFs International Country Risk Guide (ICRG) review for years and has recently submitted a 13th follow up report on its efforts to combat money laundering.





The money laundering watchdog lauded the territorys progress in addressing deficiencies in its anti-money laundering and countering financial terrorism programmes.





According to the CFATFs website, the territory has drastically improved its money crime prevention regime.





The territory was commended for establishing the necessary legal and regulatory framework to meet its commitments in its agreed action plan regarding the strategic deficiencies that the force had identified.





Although the Turks and Caicos Islands is no longer subject to the ICRG monitoring process, its compliance with international standards on money laundering and financial crime will still be reviewed.





Attorney General Rhondalee Braithwaite Knowles led a delegation representing the TCI to the CFATFs 47th Plenary and Working Group Meetings in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago on May 27 and 28.





Delegates included representatives from the Attorney Generals Chambers, the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, the Financial Services Commission, the Financial Intelligence Agency, the Financial Crimes Unit and the National Crime Intelligence Bureau.





Attorney General Braithwaite Knowles holds the position of immediate past chair of the regional compliance body on behalf of the Turks and Caicos Islands.





The CFATF is now chaired by Basil Williams, Attorney General and Minister for Legal Affairs for Guyana.





Minister Williams during his keynote address at the plenary said: "Low levels of economic growth, hurricane recovery and de-risking are posing challenges for small states that are presently in the fourth round of mutual evaluations in the anti-money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism fight.





The CFATF is the regional offshoot of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), an inter-governmental body that sets standards and promotes effective implementation of legal, regulatory and operational measures for combating money laundering.





The FATF identifies countries with weak measures to combat money laundering and terrorist financing and places them on a blacklist or a grey list which has grave financial consequences for any jurisdiction.



A CLERK from the States of Jersey Assembly joined the TCI Public Accounts Committee (PAC) for a weeklong attachment this week.





The visit which began on May 29 and concluded on Friday (June 8) is part of the UK Overseas Territories Project, a Government press release on Tuesday (June 5) said.





Hon Akierra Missick, chair of the Turks and Caicos PAC, said: "We anticipate this short term bespoke assistance will have a long term beneficial impact on the effectiveness of the PAC by providing tailored support to the clerk and the PAC more broadly.





During the attachment Caro Tomlinson from the States of Jersey Assembly partnered with the PAC chair and clerk to the Turks and Caicos House of Assembly to help develop its upcoming work plan, inquiry and committee management processes.





Tomlinson said: "This is a great opportunity to share information and knowledge about good practise in public accounts committees across smaller jurisdictions.





"I welcome the opportunity to share my expertise gained through working at the States of Jersey Assembly and hope to also further my understanding of the Turks and Caicos PAC, including how it can maximise effectiveness with limited resources.





"I hope we can maintain a good working relationship beyond my short visit, based on co-operation, shared values and a commitment to effective scrutiny.





Since its launch in March 2017, the TCI has engaged with the UK Overseas Territories Project through e-workshops for external audit staff, attendance at the 2017 Westminster Workshop for the PAC chair and the performance audit workshop in Miami in April 2018.





The three-year project on public financial oversight is delivered by the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association UK, the UK National Audit Office and the Government Internal Audit Agency.



Kim, Trump in countdown to historic summit

US President Donald Trump flanked by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and White House Chief of Staff John Kelly attend a lunch with Singapore\'s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and officials at the Istana in Singapore on Monday.

AFP :

Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un were making last-minute preparations Monday on the eve of their historic summit, as officials scrambled to narrow yawning differences over Pyongyang's nuclear arsenal.

Tuesday's meeting will be the first time a serving US president has sat down with the leader of North Korea, and comes just months after fears of conflict soared as the two traded personal insults and threats of war.

"I just think it's going to work out very nicely," said Trump at a working lunch with the prime minister of Singapore, where the meeting is being held. Behind the scenes, officials held talks for nearly three hours at a neutral hotel, seeking to bridge gaps over "denuclearisation", which means vastly different things to the two parties.

The diplomacy is an extraordinary turnaround from last year, when Trump threatened the North with "fire and fury" and Kim dubbed him a "mentally deranged US dotard".

The summit has also raised hopes of progress towards a peace treaty to formally end the Korean War, the last festering legacy of the Cold War, after hostilities only stopped with an armistice.

The two men will first meet one-on-one in a closed session, before a larger meeting with key advisers, US officials said. A senior White House official said Trump was "feeling good" and that the summit was open-ended. "It could be two days. They will talk for as long as they need to," said the official, who asked to remain anonymous. Pyongyang is demanding as yet unspecified security guarantees and the end of what it calls a "hostile policy" towards it, and has not made clear what concessions it is offering over the nuclear arsenal it calls its "treasured sword" to defend against a US invasion. Washington is demanding the North give up its weapons in complete, verifiable and irreversible way (CVID), while Pyongyang has so far only made public pledges of a commitment to the denuclearisation of the peninsula-a term open to wide interpretation.

The North, which has been subjected to increasingly strict sanctions by the UN Security Council and others, has made promises of change in the past, such as at the lengthy Six Party Talks process, only for the agreements to collapse later. The US leader has whipsawed on expectations for the meeting, signalling that it could be the beginning of a "process" of several meetings, only to call it a "one-time shot" for peace as he embarked for Singapore.

He would know "within the first minute" whether an agreement would be possible, he added, as some analysts warned that it risks becoming more of a media circus than an occasion for substantial progress.

The previous US stance, said Bruce Klingner of the Heritage Foundation, was that "we don't deploy a president to negotiate a treaty, we deploy a president to sign a treaty where we know where every piece of punctuation is on that piece of paper". "One of my worries is that we come out of this Singapore summit with something that looks remarkably like the Six Party Talks or anything that the president has previously criticised but it is hyped as something that's historic and new and groundbreaking," he added. Heavy security and armed police were in place at summit-related venues across the city-state.



The North's official KCNA news agency called the summit "historic", saying it would take place in a "changed era" and "under the great attention and expectation of the whole world". Kim would exchange "wide-ranging and profound views" on issues including "building a permanent and durable peace-keeping mechanism on the Korean peninsula" and "realising the denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula", it added. It formally referred to Trump by his full name in the Monday report, including his middle initial-the first time it has done so. A White House official described the North Korean reporting as "a sign for optimism". The Rodong Sinmun newspaper, the mouthpiece of the ruling Workers' Party, devoted its first two pages and 16 photos to Kim's trip, including images of him boarding an Air China Boeing 747 for the journey. His sister and close aide Kim Yo Jong is also in Singapore, and is believed to have travelled separately on the ageing Soviet-made Ilyushin-62 that is Kim's personal aircraft.

US presidents and vice-presidents generally never fly on the same aircraft to guarantee that one of them survives in the event of a disaster, and the move appeared designed to ensure the preservation of the Kim dynasty, which has ruled the North for three generations.



DU Pro-VC greeted by CoU Syndicate

Campus Desk :

Vice Chancellor of Comilla University (CoU) greeted Prof Dr Mohammad Samad for his being appointed as Pro-VC (Administration) of Dhaka University. Prof Samad is the Syndicate member of CoU. CoU VC greeted Prof Samad with flower at the 68th syndicate meeting of CoU held on Tuesday at the CoU guesthouse in Dhaka.

Prof Dr Emran Kabir, Chowdhury, Vice-Chancellor of Comilla University, chaired the syndicate meeting. Prof Dr AKM Moinul Huq Miazi, Syndicate Member and Professor of Physics Department of Chittagong University, Prof Dr Mosleh Uddin Ahmed, former Principal of Comilla Medical College, Prof Dr Abu Taher, Registrar of Comilla University, Prof Dr Md. Jakir Shayadullah Khan, Chairman of the Department of Economics and Syndicate Member were also present there.

Prof Dr Mohammad Samad has been working as a professor and fellows in various universities of the world. Later 1975, he was involved in various social and cultural movements including anti-autocracy movement and demanding justice for the assassination of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

Prof Dr Mohammad Samad was the General Secretary of National Poetry Council and Currently, he is working as the President of Poetry Council. He was a member of the Senate of Dhaka University (two terms, 2009-2016) and National University (2014-2016). He was Member of the Syndicate of National University (two terms, 2009-2012) and 2013-2016), Mawlana Bhashani Science and Technology University (2009-2016) and University of Development Alternative (2011-2016). He was also a member of the Academic Council of Shahjalal University of Science & Technology (2007). He also served as General Secretary of Dhaka University Club (2011).Lailat-ul-Qadr

Syed Ashraf Ali :

It was on the auspicious Lailat-ul-Qadr, the Night of Power or the Night of Honour or Majesty that the Holy Quran, the most blessed and perfect of all revelations, was vouchsafed to the benighted world. By revelation, of course, is meant first revelation because the Holy Quran was revealed in portions during a total period of twenty three years. It was this blessed Night of Majesty which first witnessed the shining of the Divine Light which was destined to illumine the whole universe.

Lailat-ul-Qadr occupies a unique position in the Islamic calendar. The word 'Lailat' in Arabic means 'Night' and 'Qadr' stands for 'Power' or 'Honour' or 'Majesty'. The real merit of this glorious Night has been clearly expounded in the Holy Quran. Allah has emphatically and in unambiguous terms declared in Sura Qadr :

"We have indeed revealed this (Message) in the Night of Power. And what will explain to thee what the Night of Power is ? The Night of Power is better than a thousand months." (97: 1-2)

The glorious Night of Grandeur or Greatness, better than a thousand months, is indeed a Night of great wonders and divine blessings wherein, as the Holy Quran declares, "come down the angels and the Spirit by Allah's permission, on every errand." (97: 4)

Nobody knows exactly in which particular night in the holy month of Ramadhan did the great "Revelation come down to the benighted world, transformed the conflict of wrong-doing into Peace and Harmony through the agency of the angelic host, representing the spiritual powers of the Mercy of Allah." Although it has been clearly laid down in Sura Baqara : "Ramadhan is the month in which was sent down the Quran, as a guide to mankind, also clear (Signs) for guidance and judgement, between right and wrong", (2 : 185), we have been left just a little to chances and nobody knows definitely which particular Night is the auspicious 'Night of Power' or the 'Night of Honour'. The precise date of Lailatul-Qadr is said to have been known on by to the Holy Prophet (pbuh) and a few of the Companions. Literalists sometimes refer to some particular Night in the calendar, but there is no agreement or consensus as to which it is. The Divine Night has been variously fixed as the 21st, 23rd, 25th 27th or the 29th night of Ramadhan, or more probably one of the last three nights mentioned above. Even some other nights in the month of Ramadhan are claimed to be Lailat-ul-Qadr. But it is generally supposed to be a Night occurring on any night in the last third portion of Ramadhan.

Hazrat Ayesha (Ra) reported God's Messenger (pbuh) as saying, Seek Lailat-ul-Qadr on an odd number night among the last ten in Ramadhan." (Bukhari Sharif)

Ibn Umar (Ra) said that some of the Prophet's companions had a dream that Lailat-ul-Qadr was among the last seven nights, so the Apostle of Allah (pbuh) said, "1 see that your dreams agree regarding the last seven nights, so if anyone asks it he should do so during the last seven nights" (Bukhari and Muslim Sharif).

Ibn Abbas (Ra) reported the Holy Prophet (pbuh) as saying, "Seek Lailat-ul-Qadr in the last ten nights of Ramadhan, on the twenty-first, twenty-third and twenty-fifth." (Bukhari sharif).

Abu Sa'id al-Khudri said: God's Messenger (pbuh) spent the first ten nights of Ramadhan in devotion, and spent the middle ten nights in a round Turkish tent, after which he raised his head and said: "I spent the first ten nights in devotion seeking this Night, then I spent the middle ten nights in devotion, and after that I had a heavenly visitant and was told that it is in the last ten, so he who has engaged in devotion along with me should do so during the last ten nights, for I was shown this Night, then was caused to forget it, but I have been myself prostrating in water and clay on the morning following, so seek it among the last ten and seek it in every night with an odd number." He said: Rain fell that night, the mosque which was a thatched building dripped, and my eyes saw Allah's Messenger (pbuh) with traces of water and clay, on his forehead on the morning after the twenty-first night." Bukhari and Muslim agree on the subject matter, the wording being Muslim's up to "and was told it is in the last ten", the remainder being Bukhari's. In the version of Abdullah bin Unais (Ra), he said it was the twenty-third night. Muslim transmitted it.

According to Ibn Hanbal, a Hadith narrated by Jbn Umar (Ra) claimed that the holy Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "Whoever seeks the Night, let him seek it on the 27th."

It is not perhaps necessary to fix the Night literally by the calendar. The Night on which Divine Message descends from Allah is undoubtedly a blessed Night for mankind, like a much-awaitted day of rain for a parched land. It is for this that the Itikaf, the adhering to the mosques or retiring for contemplation during Ramadhan as a form of devotion or meditation, is fixed for the last ten days of the month of Ramadhan. The Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) himself used to spend the last ten days of Ramadhan complete retirement in the mosque. He even had his bed placed m the mosque behind a pillar during I'tikaf.

Hazrat Ayesha (Ra) said that Allah's Messenger (pbuh) used to exert himself in devotion during the last ten nights to a greater extent than at any other time. (Muslim transmitted it).

She said that when the last ten nights began Allah's Apostle (pbuh) prepared himself for religious exercises, stayed awake at night and wakened his family. (Bukhan and Muslim).

"A thousand months" may also be taken in a mystic or indefinite sense as denoting a very long period of time. It is not necessarily 83 years and 4 months. It may not even refer to ordinary human conception of time. On the contrary, it might very well refer to "timeless Time". In the words of Abdullah Yusuf Ali, "A thousand" must be taken in an indefinite sense as denoting a very long period of time. This does not refer to our ideas of time, but to "timeless Time". It transcends Time; for it is God's power dispelling the Darkness of Ignorance, by His Revelation in every kind of affair. One moment of enlightment under God's Light is better than thousands of months or years of animal life, and such a moment converts the night of darkness into a period of spiritual glory." (Abdullah Yusuf Ali, The Holy Quran : Text Translation and Commentary, Lahore, 1938, p. 1765) Lailat-ul-Qadr, popularly known as Shab-e-Qadr in this continent, indeed occupies a very important place in the life of a devoted Muslim. "The descent of the angels and the Spirit by Allah's permission" also testifies to the deeper significance and religious sanctity of the auspicious Night, for though a particular Night in the month of Ramadhan may be characterized by great Divine Blessings, it is more especially in connection with the mission of one appointed by Allah for the regeneration of the world that "the Angels and the Spirit" come down from heaven, such being the Divine support of his cause.

Sura Qadr, testifying so eloquently to the divine grandeur and unique greatness of the majestic Lailat-ul-Qadr, ends with the beautiful expression: "Peace ! This until the rise of morn !"

"Peace" indeed is the chief distinction of Lailat-ul-Qadr. This "Peace" comes to the hearts of the devotees in the form of a tranquility of mind which makes them fit to receive Divine Blessings. When the Night of spiritual darkness is dissipated by the Glory of Benign Providence, a wonderful peace and a sense of Security arise in the soul. All jars are stilled in the reign supreme of peace. "And this lasts on", in the words of Allama Abdullah Yusuf Ali, " until this life closes, and the glorious Day of the new spiritual world dawns, when everything will be on a different plane, and the chequered nights and days of the world will be even less than a dream." The continuance of the blessed Night till "the rise of Morn" is quite clear and evident when the Night is taken literally; the work of morning signifying, " the approaching end of the reforms, when truth, like the light of the day, has made itself fully manifest." In the words of Abdullah Yusuf Ali, "the mortal night gives place to the glorious day of an immortal world." (Abdullah Yusuf Ali, ibid, p. 1764)

Laiiat-ul-Qadr, the blessed Night in which four about teen hundred years ago the Great Revelation of the Most Gracious and the Most Merciful Allah "broke through the darkness of the human soul" and the Holy Quran, the perfect Code of human life, reached mankind as Message of "Mercy from the Lord", carries another significance of Divine Excellence. As Mouivi Mohammed Ali states: "The time during which a Prophet appears is usually a time of darkness and as such is often compared to night in the Holy Quran. But as in this darkness comes a blessing from on high in the person of a Divine Messenger, the Night is a blessed and majestic Night. Hence the period of the advent of a Divine Messenger may also be metaphorically called Laiiat-uI-Qadr. Its designation as the Blessed Night in Sura Ad-Dukhan followed as it is by the statement that in it 'every wise affair is made distinct', shows clearly that the other significance of the world is based on the Holy Quran itself, because it is during the time of a Prophet's advent that true wisdom is distinctly established."

Blessed indeed is this Night of Power! "The excellences of the Lailat-ul-Qadr are said to be innumerable, and it is believed that during its solemn hours the whole animal and vegetable creation, bow down in humble adoration to the Almighty. (Dictionary of Islam, 1988 edition, Pp. 282-283). The divine importance of this Night of Grandeur is so great that the holy Prophet (peace be upon him) himself declared, "He who spends the Lailat-ul-Qadr, through prayers, in full faith, shall have all his previous sins and guilt forgiven." As none can afford to miss this glorious and unique opportunity, Muslims all over the world eagerly await this auspicious Night and try their level best to pass this Night through prayers, Quranic recitations and deep meditation with all the possible sincerity and devotion. As this Night provides them with the coveted opportunity to receive Allah's Blessings, Muslims in every nook and comer of the world rise to the occasion to avail this glorious opportunity and pray with a sincere and cherished hope to be blessed with Allah's Forgiveness and Mercy. It is this Mercy of Allah Which breaks through the darkness of the human soul on this blessed night. "All the powers, of the world divine, speed on their mystic Message of Mercy, by Allah's Command, and bless every nook and comer of the heart."

But it is not the worldly pleasures and physical comforts that one should ask for on this holy Night. What a man should pray for on this blessed Night is Forgiveness and Allah's Forgiveness alone. Nothing can be more pleasant, nothing can be more beneficial, nothing can be sweeter than the glorious Mercy of the Most Gracious and the Most Merciful Allah. Hazrat Ayesha Siddiqa (Ra) said: I asked the holy Prophet (peace be upon him) what to say on Latlat-ul-Qadr on the assumption that 1 knew it was the Night."

The holy Prophet (peace be upon him) replied, "One should say: Oh Lord! Thou art forgiving and lovest forgiveness, so forgive me. (Ahmad, Ibn Majah and Tirmizi Sharif)

-Blessed nights and daysAnti-China economic zone protests in Vietnam turn violent

Protests turned violent in Binh Thuan province - where more than 100 people were detained. Photo Internet

Scores of people have been detained by Vietnamese police amid protests against plans for special economic zones (SEZs) that many fear will be dominated by Chinese investors.

Molotov cocktails and rocks were lobbed at the People's Committee Headquarters in south-eastern Binh Thuan province, where police said 102 people were held.

The proposed law would give foreign investors 99-year leases on SEZ land.

MPs had been set to vote on it this week but this has been delayed.

The decision to postpone the vote in an attempt to defuse the protests was seen as a major concession by the ruling communist party in response to large-scale street demonstrations.

The chairwoman of parliament, Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan, said that people's opinions "will always be heard".

China's embassy in Hanoi has warned its citizens to be careful, referring to the protests as "illegal gatherings" that had included some "anti-China content". Demonstrators had gathered in various parts of the country over the weekend, including the major urban centres of Hanoi, the capital, and Ho Chi Minh City. Some carried anti-China banners, including one reading: "No leasing land to China even for one day."

Protests in the cities were quickly suppressed, but authorities faced much greater public anger in Binh Thuan, where demonstrators threw rocks, set vehicles alight, and briefly occupied the local government headquarters. State media outlets said dozens of police officers were injured. On Monday, police formed barricades with their shields across roads into the town, and numerous explosions could be heard, as tear gas was fired into the crowd.

At a fire station attacked by protesters, riot police are reported to have laid down their shields and equipment and withdrawn in an apparent peace gesture. The bill offers companies operating in the SEZs greater incentives and fewer restrictions, in an attempt to promote growth in target areas.

But protesters suspect that the communist government will award Chinese investors leases in the three economic zones in the north-east, south-east and south-west of the country, and that this would be a pretext for Chinese control over Vietnamese land.

In Binh Thuan, anti-Chinese sentiment combined with simmering anger over industrial pollution and land disputes, to ignite a flammable cocktail of local grievances, says BBC South East Asia correspondent Jonathan Head. Demonstrators are also objecting to a cyber security bill, scheduled for a vote on 12 June. Human Rights Watch says it would give the government broad powers to quash dissent online.Int`l pressure on Myanmar for safe return of Rohingyas

International pressure on Myanmar is mounting afresh as it remained 'very slow' in creating conditions for the safe return of Rohingyas from Bangladesh.

Though Bangladesh still 'remains committed' to settle the matter bilaterally, it respond to the International Criminal Court (ICC)'s request regarding the Rohingya situation, particularly about the territorial jurisdiction of the ICC.

"Myanmar is under pressure. International pressure is mounting on Myanmar in many ways. And Bangladesh's decision to respond to the ICC's request is a welcome development," Ali Riaz, a distinguished professor of Department of Politics and Government at the Illinois State University, USA, told UNB.

Wishing to remain unnamed, a diplomat said the approach of depending only on bilateral mechanism to find Rohingya solution has not brought any visible outcome yet.

Bangladesh's decision to respond to the ICC request coincides with the signing of MoUs between UN agencies and the Myanmar government.

A diplomat in Dhaka said in 1993 when the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia was established, few believed that suspects like Ratko Mladic and Radovan Karadzic, the Bosnian Serb leaders, would ever have to account for themselves.

They ended up being tried in The Hague and this shows that it pays to prepare for the day when criminal proceedings are possible, the diplomat said referring to a recent article on it.

Analysing the current situation another diplomat said time is quite right for history to repeat itself.

Meanwhile, Bangladesh Ambassador to the Netherlands Sheikh Mohammed Belal, who came to Dhaka for consultations few days ago, handed over a copy of Bangladesh observations to the court based in The Hague, a Foreign Ministry official here told UNB.

On June 6, UNHCR, the UN refugee agency, and UNDP, the UN Development Programme, signed in Nay Pyi Taw a tripartite Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the government of Myanmar. This MoU is a first and necessary step to establish a framework for cooperation between the UN and the government aimed at creating conducive conditions for the voluntary, safe, dignified and sustainable repatriation of refugees from Bangladesh and for helping to create improved and resilient livelihoods for all communities living in Rakhine State, the UNDP says. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, at the G7 outreach session in Canada, proposed a four-point specific action to resolve the ongoing Rohingya crisis, including persuading Myanmar to implement the bilateral agreements with Bangladesh for safe and sustainable return of Rohingyas. She placed the four-point action seeking more support from the international community, especially from the G-7countries to find a solution to the problem. One of the actions Bangladesh prefers is working towards adoption of resolution at the UN Security Council imposing appropriate and adequate sanctions against the responsible entities and taking action to ensure accountability and justice for the mass atrocity crimes or human rights violations or human rights violations committed against Rohingya. The other steps are persuading Myanmar to implement the bilateral agreements with Bangladesh for the safe and sustainable return of the forcibly displaced Rohingyas and pursuing with Myanmar to implement the recommendations of Rakhine Advisory Commission immediately and unconditionally.

Duty discrimination to hit reconditioned car business

BARVIDA seeks friendly tax policy

Special Correspondent :

Leaders of the Bangladesh Reconditioned Vehicles Importers and Dealers Association (BARVIDA) on Sunday termed the proposed budget unfriendly to their business because it will discourage import of reconditioned car while it will facilitate import of low-quality new cars.

"The budget is unfriendly to our business as it has pursued a discriminatory tax policy in between the reconditioned and new cars," said BARVIDA President Habib Ullah Dawn while speaking at a press briefing in Dhaka.

For an example, he said, the customs duty of a Toyota Corolla AXIO reconditioned car (NZE161, CC-1500-2017) will be Tk 16,21,000 while it will be only Tk 9,30,000 for a Toyota HAVL (H2, CC-1500-2018) new car as per the tax proposals made in the proposed budget.

"This kind of tax policy will make our business difficult. We will lose market share after facing an uneven competition with the new car importers," said Habib Ullah Dawn.

He also said substandard new cars of neighbouring countries will flood in the local market taking the duty advantage.

"Middle-class people always prefer to buy reconditioned cars because they are economically viable. But they cannot efford new cars due their high prices. Considering the capacity of the middle class, the government should ease the duty discrimination," said Habib Ullah Dawn.

He, however, urged the government to formulate an integrated import and tax policies (for at least three years) for the sector considering interest of the growing middle-class and the old car dealers.

Habib Ullah Dawn said, in the proposed budget for the fiscal year 2018-2019, the yearly depreciation on old cars has been reduced further by 5 per cent, which will also affect the sector. He demanded the rate of depreciation up to 45 per cent on import of used cars and provide deprecation facility for one-year old vehicles.

The BARVIDA leader, however, welcomed the budgetary proposal that offers reduction of supplementary duty of 1600-1800 CC hybrid motor cars from 45 per cent to 20 per cent.

"This will encourage use of energy efficient and environment friendly means of transport in the country," he added.

Syndicate for Hajj tickets

Minister calls meeting today

Kamruzzaman Bablu :

Violating the government decision, the Saudi Arabian Airlines officials are allegedly planning to pocket a big sum of money from sale of tickets to Hajj pilgrims' this year.

The Biman Bangladesh Airlines and Saudi Arabian Airlines have been asked not to issue more than 300 air tickets for pilgrims to a Hajj agency this season, but the Saudia is not complying with the government directive, sources alleged.

They said the Saudia Airlines has already issued some 45,000 tickets out of a total of 63,599 tickets for only three Hajj agencies giving the chance of syndication.

As a result, the airlines has availed the opportunity to monopolize ticketing business this season and may have collected more than Tk 45 crore extra from the Hajj agents, sources said.

They say this ticket syndicate is doing monopoly business and pilgrims and owners of a number of agencies are forced to pay extra tk 6000-8000 per ticket.

The three agencies are - Sunshine Express of Mizanur Rahman, Kazi Air of Kazi Mafizur Rahman and Al Gazi Travels of Sayem M Hasan. Of the three agencies, Sunshine got 20,000 tickets, Al Gazi Travels 15,000 and Kazi Air 10,000 tickets. Last year, the Sunshine got 18,000 tickets, Al Gazi 10,000 and Kazi Air 7,000 tickets, according to Biman officials.

In this situation, Ministry of Civil Aviation asked Saudia Airlines and Biman Bangladesh authority to know about the issue at the minister's office today.

This year, around 650 Hajj agencies will send 127,198 pilgrims to Saudi Arabia to perform Hajj. The two carriers will carry the pilgrims to the country. The two national carriers will carry half of the total 63,599 pilgrims each to Saudi Arabia.

As per a deal between Biman Bangladesh and Saudi Arabian Airlines, both airlines would carry half of Hajj pilgrims this year. Of the 127,198 Hajj aspirants, Saudi Arabian Airlines will carry about 65000 Bangladeshi pilgrims this year and Biman the rest.

To get Hajj ticket of Saudi Airlines for sales depends on the sales ratio of Umrah, labour and visit visa tickets round the year by the selected agencies. According to sales, the airlines fixes top 30 agencies and they get 20 percent Hajj tickets for sales during the Hajj period.

As per rule, each selected agency will get maximum 2000-3000 Hajj tickets for sales. But it is alleged that only three agencies already got about 60,000 tickets. How could they get such a number of Saudi Arabian Airlines tickets, depriving other HAAB members, the people engaged in the trade questioned?

"We don't provide illegal facilities to anyone" Omar Khayyam, Sales and Marketing Manager of the Dhaka Office of Saudi Arabian Airlines, told The New Nation on Monday, when his attention was drawn to the allegation.

According to the Hajj agents, the genuine Hajj agencies would not get air tickets easily in fair price in this situation. They apprehended that they might have to pay Tk 10,000 to Tk 15,000 extra for every ticket to the syndicate members which will help them to realize at least Tk 45 crore from this unholy nexus.Historic Trump-Kim summit today

Talks moving 'more quickly than expected'

The US says its discussions with North Korea are moving "more quickly than expected" ahead of the joint summit in Singapore on Tuesday.

The preliminary talks between officials have been taking place ahead of the highly anticipated first meeting.

The White House also confirms that President Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un will hold a one-on-one meeting, with only translators present.

Mr Trump will then leave the country that same evening.

Earlier, North Korea's state media talked about a "new relationship" with the US.

And the US has said it will offer North Korea "unique" security assurances in return for denuclearisation, according to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. He insisted the US would accept nothing less than complete denuclearisation.

Singapore's Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan, who met Mr Trump and Mr Kim separately on Sunday evening, told the BBC that both leaders were feeling "supremely confident".

The US president and North Korean leader are staying in separate hotels, not far from each other, and will meet on Tuesday at a hotel on Sentosa, a popular tourist island a few hundred metres off the main island of Singapore.

Their first meeting will be just the two men, with their translators, without any advisers present.

Mr Trump has said he has a "good feeling" about Tuesday's much-anticipated summit.

Mr Balakrishnan confirmed that Singapore was paying for the North Korean delegation's stay, describing it as "hospitality that we would have offered".

Mike Pompeo, Donald Trump's top diplomat, said that the president was fully prepared for his meeting with Kim Jong-un. He said the US would be satisfied with nothing less than the complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula - with verification the key part of any deal.

The US was prepared to offer certainty to North Korea so they could be "comfortable that denuclearisation isn't something that ends badly for them".

He would not be drawn on what might be on offer.

Mr Pompeo stressed that economic sanctions would remain in place "until North Korea completely and verifiably eliminates its weapons of mass destruction programmes".

Highly unusually, North Korea's state-run media are already reporting on Mr Kim's trip to Singapore to meet Mr Trump. As a rule, they would only report on the leader's movements after the event.

An editorial in Rodong Sinmun confirmed that Mr Kim had travelled to Singapore to meet Mr Trump and that "we will establish a new relationship to meet the changing demands of the new era".Bangladesh was not so brutal, it has been made so

Amid the horror of killing of more than one hundred persons by RAB operation condemning them as drug dealers came the news of gruesome death of Municipality Councilor Ekramul Haque jolting the conscience of the whole nation. The repeated pleas of innocence from his wife and child was no consideration for saving his life. My appeal is to all to feel for our people.

The heartbreaking incident brought to light the carefreeness with which lives in a free country can be lost. The story was in the media for few days. By now, knowingly near about two hundred people lost their lives and killing continues.

The people are panicked and hopelessly helpless in the hands of their own people. Though this is not the first time such killing operation was sanctioned allowing deaths in gunfights.

The saddest thing remains, our people are killing their own people outside the judicial process. The government is unrestrained. We are living brutally as a nation. None of us should feel he is unaffected and

safe. Bangladesh was not so brutal, it has been made so.

No nation that achieved independence through armed struggle cannot be so faint-hearted. This should lead us to question our minds and search our hearts about the nature of the liberation war conducted from India under the leadership of India.

The very history of the birth of Bangladesh made us a feeble players to protect and enjoy freedom, and we have proved incapable of overcoming the failures in our public life. The power struggle has become more dangerous, if anything. The idea of good governance and rule of law are fast receding into a thin air. Without deceiving one-self, it is impossible for anybody to be an optimist that our situation improving peacefully.

With the creation of Bangladesh a section of our people returned from India was too keen to depict Bangladesh as a dangerous country as never before to suit the purpose foreign to us. Killing operations became regular. Yet, crimes of all kinds are soaring. The police, especially, RAB are being used for all purpose solutions. But no solution was achieved because our politics has not been about solution.

The angry local Awami League leaders met Asaduzzaman Khan, the Home Minister to tell him that they knew him well and they did not find Ekram involved in drug business. They demanded exemplary punishment. No punishment will bring back Ekram to his wife and children. Then the question remains that nobody was killed after proving his guilt. It is futile to seek justice under the present system of killing without trial because the decision was taken politically at the highest level.

The people are being killed denying them access to justice whereas the modern justice system is in favour of abolishing death sentence even for the worst criminals. The view taken is that extreme death sentence is not the effective way to fight dangerous crimes. The measures to prevent crime is the best way to protect society and bring order.

Killing is easy, running a government is not.

Our law enforcers cannot be ignorant about their obligation to protect life as a guarantee under the Constitution. We must not forget that we and our children have nowhere to go but to live in this country with others.

Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan sounds sincere when he says that everybody will be brought under the lawful process, and nobody is above law. The simple question is: If nobody is above law then how police can kill people on the basis of the list prepared by his Ministry? Where is the law?

Another thing we must remind all is that killing in self-defence or in crossfire has to be proved in a court of law. It is murder if the court does not exonerate the killing as done in self-proclaimed self-defence. It is not a proof of self-defence merely because police or the Home Minister says so.

There is another aspect of killing by police, that is damage being done to the police discipline when they are permitted to kill without trial in a court.

Killing of real drug dealers is welcome if the people know that they are drug barons. Why the government does not have the honesty and courage to try openly the listed criminals in a court of law? Our courts are also deeply concerned about life threatening drugs. If the government is serious, there is nobody who will not support punishing godfathers of drug business if done openly.

However sure one is, no government can remain in power for ever. So the people in power now should not set such dangerous examples of getting people killed in police crossfire unlawfully.

The drug business is a huge business of thousands of crores of taka and many powerful men in the government are also involved. The people are suspicious that the accomplices are killed so that the godfathers can be saved.

MP Bodi is the much talked about godfather of drug business enjoying protection from the government. One example of MP Bodi speaks volumes as to how unsafe life has become for everybody except those who are protected by the government even when they are dangerous criminals. What a free country we live in! Denying access to justice is so easy and so fatal for human lives.

Our hope lies in showing our determination to embrace change to build a free Bangladesh our people dreamt of. Where we shall be our own masters and shall live free from fear. Where state sponsored corruption and brutality will have no place. We must do what we must to deserve what is best for us.

Money brokers reap ahead of Eid

UNB, Dhaka :

Vendors of shiny-as-new taka notes are making an easy profit as fresh note-seekers are on the spree to collect on the occasion of Eid ul Fitr. The preference for carrying fresh notes on the occasion of Eid, though not rational, reflects the special place in their hearts for Eid.

Elders seek to live up to the expectations of the young ones, not only with the amount in taka of the Salami (blessings) they proffer. They must also make sure it is denominated in hard, new cash that crackle as you fold and unfold them.

Visiting the thriving roadside stalls in Gulistan and Sadarghat, UNB correspondent found sellers are busy to sell the new note to the note seekers, and customers were collecting their new notes from the street vendors paying a charge. The vendors informed that during the Eid festive season they charge Tk150 to Tk 500 per bundle containing 100 new notes, on top of the monetary value of the bundle. So, for example, a bundle of new Tk 5 notes will cost Tk 650 - (500 + 150) afor Eid season but normally they sell new notes for a premium of Tk50 from Tk150 over the bundle.

"We are satisfied with the current sale of the new currency as we are getting many buyers during the Eid season comparing to the normal days. They (note seekers) collect money without considering the high charge," said Alamgir, a street vendor in the Gulistan area. Mohammad Saiful Islam,

a hawker in the city's Jatrabari area who came to Gulistan for new notes, told UNB that he had bought the new notes for his children and relatives.

"I do not prefer to go to the banks to collect money as they are reluctant to provide the new note to us. But my children expect the new note from me in the Eid. If they get the new note, they feel happy. So I collect before every Eid." Though banks sell new notes on the occasion too, many new note seekers like Saiful rush to the street vendor.

Richwood, TX (77531)

Today

Scattered thunderstorms during the evening. Partly cloudy skies after midnight. Low 59F. Winds NNW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 60%..

Tonight

Scattered thunderstorms during the evening. Partly cloudy skies after midnight. Low 59F. Winds NNW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 60%.Paris, TX (75460)

Today

Mostly clear. Slight chance of a rain shower. Low 46F. N winds at 15 to 25 mph, decreasing to 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Mostly clear. Slight chance of a rain shower. Low 46F. N winds at 15 to 25 mph, decreasing to 5 to 10 mph.ThinkSmart for Development and Training has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Alreef Young Ladies Society to provide professional and basic training to young Bahraini women under the FORSATI program.



FORSATI will provide training for young Bahraini Women coming from Alreef Young Ladies Society in basic subjects like computer skills, logical thinking, coding& programming fundamentals. It will also provide professional certifications for ICT Bahraini women graduates and professionals in subjects such as cloud computing, web development, productivity and collaboration.



Ahmed Alhujairi, CEO of ThinkSmart said: This program will empower the employability and productivity for Bahraini women. It is backed by the latest Microsoft Programs and Certifications, and aligned with industry requirements; this will enable Bahraini women to learn and apply new skills to compete in the global economy and will also produce a large number of Bahraini women coders who are ready for todays competitive job market.



Badreea Al Marzooq, chairwoman of Alreef Young Ladies Society said: Providing this qualitative training to our members in cooperation with Think Smart through the FORSATI program comes within the framework of the Permanent society's keenness to promote its members and provide them with new skills, encourage them to keep abreast of technological development.



Al Marzooq affirmed the efforts of the Alreef Young Ladies Society to be a vital centre for training and awareness in the northern governorate, thus providing opportunities for as many women and girls as possible to learn and to train in modern skills.  TradeArabia News ServicePrysmian Group, a world leader in the energy and telecom cable systems industry, said it has acquired US-based General Cable to set up a giant company in the energy and telecom cable sector with global headquarters in Milan, Italy.

Based in Kentucky, US, General Cable is a leader in the development, design, manufacture, marketing and distribution of aluminum, copper and fiber optic wire and cable products for the energy, communications, transportation, industrial, construction and specialty segments.



The new organisation combines the strengths of both Prysmian and General Cable and is based on centralised governance and integrated management of global businesses, clear responsibilities for results, a focus on efficiency and technological innovation and a customer-centric approach enabled by teams dedicated to key customer accounts, said Prysmian in a statement.



With sales of over 11 billion ($13 billion), the new Group will employ approximately 30,000 people at 112 plants and 25 reseach and development (R&D) centres in over 50 countries, it added.



With the General Cable acquisition, the shift in the balance of the weights of the various geographical areas is significant: North America will now account for approximately a third of the groups sales, with the North American head office located in Highland Heights, Kentucky, and 23 plants throughout the region with about 5,800 employees, said the statement from Prysmian.



The integration with General Cable enables further expansion of the range of technologies and products offered by Prysmian Group, stated the Italian group.



Announcing the takeover, Prysmian Group CEO Valerio Battista said: "We are proud to have established our second home region in the US, contributing to the development of the country's economy with our best technologies and expertise."



"Today, we begin to operate as a single team with shared objectives, integrating the two companies cultures, business segments, geographical markets, production facilities and staff functions. Protecting our business and creating value: these are our priorities," stated Battista.



According to him, the new organisational matrix model is structured along three lines: the Groups centralised functions, which aim at fostering the creation of a highly integrated "One Company; the regions, which ensure proximity to the market; and the business areas (Energy, Telecom and Projects), which are responsible for product and cross-selling strategies.



"With the aim of identifying and retaining top talent, we conducted a thorough selection process based on the best people for the job principle, ensuring equal opportunities to people from Prysmian and General Cable," noted Fabrizio Rutschmann, the chief human resources officer.



"The result is an international management team composed of 450 people who from the outset have been given clear responsibilities and precise objectives," he added.-TradeArabia News ServiceThuraya Telecommunications Company, a leading mobile satellite services operator, is showcasing its latest solutions and products at this years Eurosatory Defence exhibition in Paris, France.



Visitors can engage with senior officials from Thuraya, who will answer questions on Thurayas defence portfolio that includes the recently launched Thuraya Aero and Thuraya tracking and monitoring service and terminal.



Fahad Kahoor, director of Market Development, Government and NGO, Thuraya, said: Eurosatory is a vital event for those working in the defence and security arena and specifically in the European market which is one of our priority markets. The portfolio were showcasing is a combination of mission-critical, purpose-built products and solutions that meet key sector requirements.



Thuraya boasts a range of products particularly suited to the government and military sector, including a growing suite of rugged, compact terminals that are innovative, easy to install and maintain, and are simple to set-up for LAN or wireless connectivity.



They are fast, lightweight, compact, easily deployed, highly flexible and interoperable for all operations. Government and defence users can benefit greatly from the purpose built Thuraya IP Commander or the Thuraya IP Voyager or Thuraya MCD Voyager among others.



Thurayas M2M portfolio is also well suited for government customers. The Thuraya T2M-Dual terminal is a mobile, dual-mode device for superior machine-to-machine (M2M) communications and remote asset tracking and monitoring. It ensures the safety of assets through allowing the simultaneous collection of data from multiple points including location information, data from external sensors and peripheral devices, and input gathered from vehicle or heavy equipment CANBus.



It is designed to allow for the integration of any third-party applications and has several built-in smart features such as geo-fencing, network selection based on least cost routing and internal battery backup. The service supports on-the-move M2M/IoT applications seamlessly on satellite and GSM networks, allowing for optimized connectivity based on the best available network, and is built to withstand harsh environmental conditions.



Our defence portfolio was developed to meet the needs and requirements of military and defence operators, Kahoor said. We are currently pitching T2M to the government sector, because its unique features can assist them in remotely managing and securing their assets.



Also on display is the Thuraya Aero, which caters to the growing demand for in-flight connectivity. Developed as an in-flight communications system, it supports steady Internet access, voice calls, text messaging, and real-time, secure data link communication, high-speed data applications such as video streaming for ISR & SAR missions, on board small to medium-sized planes, as well as rotary wing aircraft.  TradeArabia News ServiceBy TCN News

In yet another positive news from Kashmir, multiple students from across the Valley secured admissions to the prestigious IITs and BITS engineering colleges. The students who made it to IITs include Yawar Altaf, Raja Fida and Mehrajuddin.

Yawar Altaf, from Srinagar, secured a rank of 2563 in the JEE advanced exam, the gateway to IITs. Yawar said he had been inclined towards Physics since Class 8 and had been preparing for IIT entrance examinations for past 2-3 years. I am extremely happy that I will be able to pursue physics at one of the IITs. I am thankful to my parents and mentors who supported me and counselled me at every step. Had it not been for my mentors at RISE, it would have been extremely difficult for me to prepare for this examination, he said.

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Yawar was hand-picked by RiSE team in 2015 when he topped the class XIth category of the first edition of RiSE talent search examination. Over the past three years, Yawar has consistently worked hard in the pursuit of his ambitions. Its only because of his dedication and trust in us that he achieved this feat. I wish him all the very best for his enriching professional and academic journey at IIT, said Imbesat Ahmad, of team RISE.

Additionally, Yawar has an admission offer from Kings College, London.

Another student, Raja Fida, from Awantipora, will also make it to IIT after securing a rank of 8,500. I am relieved that I got a rank which will ensure that I study at an IIT, which was always my dream. Based on my rank, I am looking forward to pursuing civil engineering from IIT Dhanbad. I would want to thank my parents and teachers for their unending support throughout my preparation, he said.

Mehrajuddin, from Srinagar, who secured a category rank of 38, is also one of the students from RISE who made it to IITs this year.

Additionally, two students from RISE, Huzaib-ul-Hassan and Muhtashim Rafiqi secured admissions to the prestigious BITS Pilani. While Huzaib aced the BITSAT examination, entrance examination to BITS Pilani, Muhtashim secured a direct admission by being the state topper of class 12th JKBOSE examinations.

Salman Shahid of team RISE said, Its encouraging to see our students achieve such results despite their difficult circumstances. Their results will inspire greater hope among the student community. I wish stakeholders of education in Kashmir take notice of such results and take the necessary steps to ensure that JEE Advanced and BITSAT have at least one examination centre in Kashmir. Currently, students have to travel to Jammu and Delhi for these examinations. Such a step will ensure greater participation and better results in the long term.

RISE, a Srinagar-based institute, has been counselling and preparing students for college admissions since 2012. RISE has generated unprecedented success over the years in the form of admissions at Princeton University, University of Pennsylvania, IITs, BITS, etc.Turkey and Algeria have called for an emergency session of the U.N. General Assembly (UNGA) to discuss and vote on a draft resolution on protection of Palestinians. As Daily Sabah writes in an article "Turkey, Algeria call for urgent UN General Assembly session on protection of Palestinians", the session was requested by Turkey as the term president of Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and Algeria in the name of Arab Union, a joint statement said Friday. The statement was issued following a meeting between UNGA President Miroslav Lajcak and Turkey's envoy to the U.N. Feridun Sinirlioglu, along with permanent representatives of Algeria, Bangladesh, Senegal, Egypt and Palestine at the U.N.

The date for the emergency meeting will be announced in a few days. It is expected to take place next week, according to diplomatic sources.

Palestine's envoy to the U.N. Riyad Mansour said the text of the draft resolution would be similar to a previous draft resolution submitted by Kuwait on May 18 to the UN Security Council and vetoed by the U.S. on June 2.

Kuwait-proposed U.N. Security Council draft resolution condemned Israeli violence and called for the "protection of the Palestinian people" in Gaza and the West Bank.

Ten countries, including China, France and Russia, voted in favor, while the U.K., Poland, the Netherlands and Ethiopia abstained.

Later, the Security Council rejected a U.S. proposal calling for condemnation of Hamas for violence in Gaza.

The U.S. resolution was opposed by Russia, Kuwait and Bolivia while 11 countries abstained from voting.

Last December, the U.N. overwhelmingly adopted a resolution on Jerusalem, calling on the United States to withdraw its recognition of the city as Israel's capital, with 128 votes in favor.A Kuwaiti investor bought the luxury hotel Monolit Plaza in Baku, Azerbaijan, Trend reported citing a source familiar with the situation.

The source noted that soon the hotel's name could be changed.

The same investor plans to build a new hotel and a shopping center in Gabala, and also rented a plot of land in Baku, according to the source.North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has invited US President Donald Trump to Pyongyang in July, to hold the second round of their summit, according to JoongAng Ilbo newspaper of South Korea. The respective invitation was made by a letter, News.am reports.

And Kyodo News news agency of Japan reported that if the negotiation process goes well, the third round of this summit may be held in Washington D.C., in September, according to RIA Novosti news agency of Russia.Moscow will continue efforts to involve the radical Taliban movement (outlawed in Russia) in direct talks with Kabul, Russias Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said following the meeting of CSTO foreign ministers on Monday, adding though that those efforts have failed so far, TASS reported.

According to Russias top diplomat, "together with normalizing the military situation in Afghanistan" heads of ministries supported Afghan President Ashraf Ghanis call for a direct dialogue with the Taliban members.

"Russia has long advocated for this kind of dialogue, the Taliban members are part of the Afghanistans society. Provided that they abandon a military approach to defending their interests, they should be made direct participants of the political process," he said. "So far the Taliban members have not demonstrated readiness to this kind of dialogue, but we will continue our efforts, particularly on the back of todays agreements between the CSTO foreign ministers," the minister added.Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko has sent congratulations to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev as the countries mark the 25th anniversary of diplomatic relations, Trend reports.

Lukashenko stressed that the Belarus-Azerbaijan relations have reached a very high level of sustainable strategic partnership over the past years.

Both states productively interact at the international level, have similar positions on key international issues. By joint efforts of Belarus and Azerbaijan, a solid economic foundation of cooperation has been built, a number of projects are being implemented in the field of industry," the message reads.

Lukashenko said he is sure that the relations between Belarus and Azerbaijan, based on the traditions of trust, will further dynamically develop for the benefit of the peoples of both countries.Russian Airspace Forces helped the Syrian army to prevent the militants attempting to make a breakthrough towards Palmyra, the Center for the Reconciliation of the Warring Parties reports.

It is specified that the terrorists broke through to Palmira from Al-Tanf.

As a result of the collision, five militants, a pick-up truck and a motorcycle were destroyed.

"The rest of the extremists dispersed and moved back to the direction of the illegally occupied settlement of the city of Al-Tanf," the report said.

A group of militants, trying to make a breakthrough, was found by Syrian observers at Mount Gurab. The terrorists tried to break through on motorcycles and pick-up trucks with heavy weapons.

The center added that the militants had repeatedly attempted a breakthrough, but this one was the largest, RIA Novosti reports.

Recall, the United States occupies a 34-mile zone around its military base in Al-Tanf, where it trains and equips armed Syrian opposition forces. The base was illegally deployed in April last year under the pretext of the fighting against terrorists.Turkey has launched anti-terror operations in both Qandil and Sinjar regions in northern Iraq, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday, TRT World reports.

Addressing residents in Turkey's central Nigde province, Erdogan said, "We've started anti-terror operations in Qandil and Sinjar. We've destroyed 14 important targets with 20 of our aircrafts."

Referring to Qandil region, he said, "Our target is to drain the biggest swamp."

In recent days, Turkish officials suggested that the Mount Qandil region in northern Iraq near the Iranian border, where the PKK terrorist group has its headquarters, will be the target of a future operation.

Air strikes on PKK targets in northern Iraq have been carried out regularly since July 2015, when the terrorist PKK group resumed its armed campaign against Turkey.A United Airlines flight from Rome to Chicago made an emergency landing in Shannon, Ireland, Monday due to a suspected security threat, Fox News reports. Flight UA-971 landed at Shannon Airport around 1:42 p.m. local time and was met by police and fire crew on the ground, Independent.ie reported.

The 214 passengers and crew members disembarked the plane and were taken into the terminal along with their luggage to undergo a security screening. A spokesperson for Garda, the local police force, told Independent.ie that the flight was diverted to Shannon, in midwest Ireland, following the discovery of a note relating to a bomb threat on board.

According to Independent.ie, there was a message written on a surface in the aircrafts lavatory suggesting the presence of an explosive.QUANG BINH  The central province of Quang Binh is calling for investments on a list of 48 projects with a total expected value of over VN50 trillion (US$2.2 billion).

The list, which was approved by the province for the 2018-20 period, is projected to cover more than 8,000ha of land, with a focus on tourism, trade and services, industry, and agriculture, as well as education and health care.

Notably, 14 projects in tourism and trade and services, including coastal and ecological tourism and resort complexes, are expected to raise over VN37 trillion in investments. These are considered high-value projects that will create many jobs, increase the local budget, and foster tourism development in the province.

Quang Binh is also calling for over VN8 trillion in investments in the field of industry through five projects in wind and solar power, electrical and electronic production and assembly, telecommunications, and lighting equipment manufacturing, as well as auto assembly.

Together with the approval of the list, the province has also instructed relevant agencies and localities to prepare information of the projects and increase promotional activities to lure domestic and foreign investors. Quang Binh has also pledged to provide the best conditions for investors.

Quang Binh has over time made efforts to promote investment in the province, especially in tourism and trade projects.

Since 2016, the province has attracted billions of US dollars in investments in the field of tourism, trade, and services. With a range of beautiful natural landscapes, religious tourism destinations, and historical relic sites, the province holds great potential for tourism development.

According to the provincial Department of Tourism, Quang Binh welcomed 3.3 million visitors in 2017, up 70.9 per cent against the same period last year. This figure includes 130,000 international tourists, up 156 per cent from last year, with the tourism sector grossing over VN3.7 trillion ($161.8 million) in revenues.

The province has welcomed over 727,000 tourists in the first quarter of 2018, a year-on-year rise of 12 per cent, while raking in VN820 billion in tourism revenues. Quang Binh has set a target of welcoming 3.5 million tourists, including 120,000 foreigners, in 2018.  VNSHA NOI  The Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT)s draft decree on the development and management of traditional markets and supermarkets is facing criticism as it imposes restrictions on retail businesses.

According to the draft decree, retail establishments must satisfy standards to be called supermarkets or shopping malls.

The decree also stipulates that supermarkets must not run more than three sale promotional programmes every year, with each programme lasting for at least 30 days. The next programme can only be organised after a month of the previous one.

At least 70 per cent of the goods available in supermarkets and shopping centres must be covered by the programmes.

The draft also mentions that supermarkets should have an area of 250-10,000sq.m. They must meet the requirements on construction, sale equipment, storage conditions and services for disabled people as well as for children.

Supermarkets and shopping centres must remain open on all days of the week, including holidays, from at least 10am to 10pm.

According to market experts, the government and MoIT are trying to slash unnecessary business conditions to make life easier for enterprises. However, the draft decree prepared by the ministry creates new business conditions, which is contrary to the efforts of simplifying administration procedures.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc had earlier asked the ministry to review the Governments Decree 2 and Decree 114 on the development and management of markets. However, the draft decree is intended to strengthen the management of the entire distribution sector and not just markets.

Viet Nam Retailers Associations chairwoman inh Thi My Loan said the decrees scope went beyond the Prime Ministers requirement as it stipulated the management of stores, auction centres, supermarkets and shopping centres.

The proposed regulation on the area of supermarkets does not reflect the reality and limits the operational scale of retailers, Loan said.

Earlier, the Viet Nam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) said the regulations on sale promotional programmes demonstrated the ministrys deep intervention in retailers businesses.

If MoIT fears that the sale promotional programmes will affect the competitive market, it needs to control the activities in accordance with competition laws, VCCI said.

Responding to the comments, MoIT said it welcomed all feedback to build the draft decree and would continue to study and complete the draft following the stipulated process and regulations.

This is the first step to complete the application to the Ministry of Justice for assessment.

MoIT said the decree aimed to resolve shortcomings while ensuring inhabitation of the suitable relevant regulations. The decree is expected to create a legal framework for the operation of markets, supermarkets, trade centres and auction centres as well as for retail, wholesale, agents, franchising and mergers and acquisitions. It will help improve the business environment, national competition and international integration on distribution sector management.  VNSHCM CITY  HCM City is publishing information on activities of several real estate investors that have applied for mortgage loans secured by their property and land-use rights.

The city said it wanted to provide customers with more information about what investors were doing with their properties.

For instance, Hoang Phuc Real Estate Management Ltd applied for a mortgage loan for its The Western Capital project in District 6 with VPBank, while An Phu Long Real Estate Company applied for a mortgage loan for its D-Vela project in District 7 with the Joint-Stock Commercial Bank for Investment and Development of Viet Nam.

Several real estate experts noted that, as the property market in HCM City has become more active, it is normal to see many real estate companies applying for loans for projects and using their projects as their own security.

However, there have been cases of companies using their mortgage loans for other projects rather than the projects used as security for those loans.

In addition, some companies are using property currently owned by customers for mortgage loans, or are selling properties used as security to buyers.

For example, many customers that had bought land plots in the Everluck Residence Project are involved in a dispute with the investor the Tuong Phong Real Estate Company.

They said the company had not provided them with red books (house-ownership certificates) and had used land plots sold to customers as security for mortgage loans for the companys other projects.

The Everluck Residence project is seized for sales by a bank that Tuong Phong is borrowing capital, and many customers have voiced their complaints over the possibility of losing their land.

Real estate customers have been urged to carefully investigate the reputation and capability of real estate investors before making decisions on buying property or land.  VNSMyanmar, where 70 per cent of the people are farm workers, needs modern technologies to improve its agricultural production. The opportunity has come through a Vietnamese telecom company, which provides industry 4.0 apps and services through mobile broadband.

HCM City -- The Pyin Oo Lwin Highland in Mandalay Province is Myanmars major flower and vegetable production hub thanks to its cool weather and ideal georaphic location.

Its affluence reminds one of Myanmars richness in the past. The military coup in 1962 destroyed Myanmars economy, but the country has strongly recovered since 2016 when the US lifted its embargo after 19 years.

However, it is not easy to achieve rapid economic development with 70 per cent of the population working as farmers.

Ms. San San Yi is a farmer and would like to change her life but has had to struggle for many years with her eight-hectare flower farm. A lack of knowledge of technology hindered her efforts to learn new things like how to install and operate a water-efficient irrigation system or measure the fertility of the land.

Everything has changed since she accepted an invitation to trial a smart farming app called Nextfarm from Mytel, Viettels company in Myanmar, which officially begin to provide mobile phone services on June 9.

Nextfarm is an application to manage farming through sensors buried in the land. It provides owners with all the information needed for farming such as salinity, humidity and light intensity.

In the past Yis farming was based on the traditional knowledge and skills passed down by her ancestors, and much depended on the weather. Now she only needs to touch her mobile phone screen to know about the status of her farm and start watering it from wherever she is.

She hires 10 to 20 workers depending on her crop, but believes the expenditure on human resources will be cut by half thanks to Nextfarm.

Elsewhere, Kyaw Shwe, another of the millions of Myanmarese farmers to benefit from smart phone agricultural apps, now has access to modern farming information and improved his output, the Nikkei Asian Review reports .

A few years ago no one in Shwes village knew about mobile phones, but now the younger generations are helping seniors like him use technology.

This enables them to escape the pattern of good harvest but low prices, debts and distress sale, which has haunted farmers for centuries.

Telecom revolution

When the Myanmarese Government ended the monopoly in telephony in 2013, the mobile phone usage rate in the country jumped several fold from the earlier 5 per cent in just a few months.

Officials and the media had predicted that when 90 per cent of the population, of which 80 per cent were farmers, used smart phones, the economy would benefit, and this has come true now.

Mytel has ushered in a revolution with its nation-wide mobile broadband infrastructure (the only 4G network that covers the whole country with 30,000 km of fibre-optic cable).

It also has the largest number of apps, with Nextfarm being a good example.

Mytel in fact provides a diverse range of services to help build a smarter society, such as smart agriculture solutions, traffic signal management system, electronic wallet, route surveillance equipment.

Mytel belongs to Telecom International Myanmar, a joint venture between Viettel and two local companies, Star High Public Company and Myanmar National Telecom Holding Public.

The company has a mission of creating super mobile broadband in Myanmar for people to connect with each other and offer industry 4.0 apps to help usher in a smarter society.

The world is currently looking at the Southeast Asian country as a new star in the global information technology and telecom firmament.HA NOI  The Indonesian Anti-Dumping Committee (KADI) has announced the application of anti-dumping measures on colour-coated steel sheet imports from Viet Nam and China.

This was revealed by the Trade Remedies Authority of Viet Nam, which operates under the Ministry of Industry and Trade.

KADI determined that steel sheet imports from Viet Nam dumped into the country stood between 12.01 per cent and 28.49 per cent of the Indonesian market and caused significant injury to the domestic steel industry.

Based on this conclusion, the Indonesian Trade Security Committee (KPPI) proposed the application of anti-dumping measures on Vietnamese colour-coated steel products for a five-year period.

KADI initiated the dumping investigation on December 23, 2016, following complaints by PT NS BlueScope Indonesia that repeated illegal trade practices devastated production and employment as well as caused damage to the Indonesian steel industry.

The colour-coated steel imports that were investigated had the HS codes of 7210.70.70.00, 7212.40.10.00 and 7212.40.20.00.

KADI said that from July 2015 to June 2016, Indonesia imported 224,120 tonnes of colour-coated steel, of which 196,191 tonnes came from Viet Nam and China, accounting for 87.5 percent of the countrys total steel imports.

On January 9, 2018, KADI announced a statement of essential facts on the anti-dumping investigation and asked relevant sides to give comments on the statement.

Indonesia held a public hearing on the anti-dumping investigations on January 26, 2018.  VNSQUANG TRI  The central province of Quang Tri is getting another wind power plant, thanks to a total investment of US$68 million from a domestic company.

The provinces Peoples Committee has approved an investment proposal by the Tan Hoan Cau Joint-Stock Company to build a wind power plant in the provinces mountainous akrong District. It will be the fifth wind power plant built in the province.

The company has been allowed to install 12 turbines on an 8ha plot of land in Huong Hiep Commune. The total capacity of the plant will be 30MW, with an expected annual electricity production of 126 million kWh.

The plant will be named the Huong Hiep Wind Power Plant 1.

Granted a 50-year licence, construction on the plant starts in April next year and operations are expected to officially begin in November 2020.

Tan Hoan Cau has also invested in two other wind power plants in the provinces Huong Hoa Commune. Huong Linh Wind Power Plant 1 and 2, were constructed thanks to US$1.3 billion in investments from the company.

Nguyen uc Tam, director of the local Department of Planning and Investment, said the province targeted three areas across the province for wind power, including a 2,789ha area in Huong Hoa District, a 2,882ha area in the Gio Linh and Vinh Linh districts, and another 1,036ha area in Con Co Island.

The province has recently licensed the construction of a solar power plant in Gio Linh District, with a total investment of US$52million. Expected to officially begin operating by June next year, the plant occupies a 58ha lot and has an expected annual production of 67,690 MWh.  VNSA view of ong Nai Province. According to the Foreign Investment Agency, in the first five months of the year foreign direct investment in new projects was worth US$4.66 billion, 17 per cent down from last years figure for the same period.  Photo cafef.vn

Compiled by Thien Ly

According to the Foreign Investment Agency, in the first five months of the year foreign direct investment in new projects was worth US$4.66 billion, 17 per cent down from last years figure for the same period.

Capital addition by existing projects plunged by 46 per cent to $2.5 billion.

The first five months of last year saw several new large projects licensed while some existing major investors also brought in more money.

But this year most projects have been small or medium-sized, with the largest being South Koreas LG Innitek Hai Phong, which has an investment of $501 million.

Thai-invested Bac Lieu Wind Power Project No 3 involves an investment of $365.76 million, while Chinas Miracle International Viet Nam has capital of $260 million.

The Governments new FDI policy seems to be the culprit that has turned off the tap.

Under the new policy, Viet Nam attaches importance to the quality of FDI. It has also made a shift from offering incentives and invitations to carefully selecting projects that match a localitys conditions and potential to ensure maximum effectiveness.

In other words, while FDI flows may now be reduced, they are of better quality.

Analysts however believe there are many positive signs that indicate the possibility of a strong recovery in the flows by year-end.

In the last three months, Vietnamese leaders have met with government leaders and entrepreneurs in many countries including South Korea, Singapore and Japan, and these meetings have yielded encouraging results.

During Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phucs visit to Singapore in April, Laguna Lang Co, a Singapore-owned project, committed to an increase in investment from $875 million to $2 billion.

Another Singaporean investor, Sembcorp, has signed a memorandum of understanding with the central province of Quang Ngai to build the $2 billion Dung Quat Power Plant.

Many other investment agreements were also signed under the framework of PM Phucs visit to the island nation.

During his visit to Japan in May, President Tran ai Quang held meetings with members of the Japan Federation of Economic Organisations (Keidanren), the executives of some major companies and the leadership of the Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

The meetings discussed ways for the two countries to improve their economic ties, thus pointing to the possibility of more Japanese investment in Viet Nam in the coming time.

Analysts said these meetings in various countries are sure to improve FDI inflows into Viet Nam both in terms of numbers and quality.

In other words, the reports about the drying up of foreign investment are premature, they said.

Foreign investors eye industrial properties

In May, the BW Industrial Development JSC (BW Industrial), a joint venture company between US private equity fund Warburg Pincus and Viet Nams Investment and Industrial Development Corporation (Becamex IDC), began operations in the southern province of Binh Duong.

With over two million square metres of industrial land and $200 million in initial capital, BW Industrial is considered the largest supplier of industrial properties and logistics services in Viet Nam.

In particular, the joint venture plans to develop and provide institutional-grade industrial and logistics properties across Viet Nam in all key economic regions.

It expects to achieve by leveraging our strong partner relationships with tenants and development expertise to deliver industrial real estate properties including ready-built factories, logistics warehouses and other industrial-related commercial properties, it says.

The company has bought land for eight projects in five localities in key economic zones in the north and south, including Binh Duong, ong Nai, Hai Phong, Hai Duong and Bac Ninh.

Before Warburg Pincus, many other foreign investors had also sunk considerable amounts of money in industrial infrastructure facilities, particularly construction of factories for lease.

Japanese companies are among the foreign investors most interested in ready-built factories with a series of projects already developed or being developed through joint ventures with local partners.

They include Kizuna JV, Chodai, Kobelco Eco-Solutions, and JESCO Holdings.

Kizuna JV, for instance, owns two logistics warehouses covering a combined area of 71,000sq.m in the southern province of Long An. It provides facilities for 80 local and foreign companies.

It is also building a ready-built factory for leasing out, Kizuna 3, which will comprise 40 factories and workshops, each 300-600sq.m in size.

Other industrial infrastructure developers such as Thailands Amata and Singapores Sembcorp, which have invested in industrial parks in Viet Nam for a long time, are also planning to build factories in anticipation of new investors to flock to the country soon.

Last March, Amata Viet Nam received a licence from Quang Ninh Provinces Peoples Committee to build the Song Khoai Industrial Park in Quang Yen Town.

This will be the first IP developed by Thai investors in the province and the fourth by foreign investors since 2014.

To spread over an area of 714ha, the construction will be done in five phases at a cost of VN3.5 trillion ($153.6 million). The zone hopes to get its first tenant by the end of next year.

Amata hopes to attract investors operating in the manufacturing and processing, hi-tech, bio-tech and software sectors from many countries and territories.

Hemaraij, another Thai investor, is working with a Vietnamese company to build an industrial zone in the central province of Nghe An. This $1 billion project will be developed on an area of 3,200sq.m and includes two industrial parks. In the first phase, they will develop an industrial estate on an area of about 500ha.

Why are many foreign investors interested in industrial properties in Viet Nam?

Experts said this is because more and more foreign companies want to do business in Viet Nam because the country remains a strategic destination and is now considered the new workshop by manufacturers around the world.

The country offers many advantages, including affordable labour costs and incentives for investors in economic zones.

Besides, it has signed many free trade agreements (FTAs), including with the EU and South Korea, and recently joined the CPTPP, which is expected to bring 90 per cent of trade tariffs between its 11 economic members down to zero, creating free trade in the Asia Pacific.

CPTPP, or the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, now has 11 members -- Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, and Viet Nam.

Viet Nam is thus a magnet for foreign investors who want to exploit the vast free trade market created by its FTAs and the CPTPP.

According to the Ministry of Planning and Investment, foreign investment inflows into Viet Nam have been rising in recent years.

In 2016, the country attracted $24.86 billion worth of FDI, and the figure rose to $35.88 billion last year.

Notably, most of the investment was in the processing and manufacturing sector, which is increasing the demand for factories and other production-related facilities.

Not wanting to miss this opportunity, many foreign investors have quickly shifted their investment into industrial infrastructure, particularly large industrial parks and other industrial properties and built-to-suit opportunities.

Built-to-suit is a way of leasing property for commercial purposes, in which the developer or landlord builds to a tenants specifications. The landowner pays for the construction to the specifications of the tenant, and the tenant then leases the land and building from the landowner, who retains ownership. Build to suit is frequently used by tenants who wish to occupy a building of a certain type but do not wish to own the building.

An analyst from Jones Lang LaSalle said Viet Nam is among the Southeast Asian countries that are benefiting hugely from industrial projects and logistics services.  VNSKIEN GIANG  Local authorities are trying to bury the body of a 150kg dolphin that drifted to the coast of Phu Quoc, confirmed Kien Giang southern provinces Phu Quoc District authorities.

As reported by Thanh Nien (Young People) newspaper, the dead dolphin, measuring 1.5m in length, was discovered on June 9 at residential quarter No. 9 on the coast of Duong ong Town in Phu Quoc District.

Many people posted the footage of the dolphin on Facebook.

On June 10, Le Van Riem, head of the residential quarter, said after receiving the news, local authorities sent staff to the site to bury the mammal.

Nguyen Linh Ngoc, an expert of the Management Board of Phu Quoc Marine Protected Area, said it was a Tursiops truncatus dolphin. VNSHA NOI  Hung Yen Province has fined a foreign-invested enterprise company VN400 million (approximately US$16,000) for committing another environmental violation.

AOCC Ltd Co was penalised for once again discharging wastewater into the environment and polluting the surrounding area, the Deputy Chairman of the provincial Peoples Committee, Bui The Cu, said.

This marks the third time the company, which is located at Yen My Town in Yen My District, was caught and penalised for repeated violations of regulations prohibiting the discharge of hazardous wastes into the environment.

Inter-discipline inspection teams examined the manufacturing factory of the company and found out that it had been releasing wastewater into the surrounding area in levels exceeding regulatory standards.

The inspection teams also saw black, effervescent, and toxic-smelling wastewater in the underground discharge systems built inside the factory. The waste flowed into the Bac Hung Hai River, seriously affecting the livelihood and farming production of the people living in the area.

Analysis by environmental inspectors showed some parameters exceeded the standards permitted by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, including COD, which exceeded standards by 1.8 times, NH4+, which went over by 1.4 times, Coliform, which overshot standards by 1.4 times, and BOD5, which went 1.2 times over the regulatory limit.

The company was fined VN90 million ($3,600) for failing to implement the approved Environmental Protection Plan.

A fine of VN30 million ($1,200) was also imposed on AOCC for its failure to collect hazardous wastes.

The company was also charged with violating a regulation on discharging wastes exceeding regulatory standards.

In May 2017, the company was also fined VN286 million ($11,440) by the provincial Peoples Committee for the discharge of wastewater exceeding regulatory standards. The penalty was aggravated because of the companys repeated violations.

In addition to the fines, Hung Yen Province authorities required the company to properly and fully implement the contents of the approved Environmental Protection Plan.

AOCC was also required to immediately stop the discharge of wastewater exceeding permitted standards and without licence.

AOCC Vietnam is a foreign-invested enterprise specialising in the manufacturing and processing of garments for export. It started operations in late 2007.  VNSThu Anh

HCM CITY  Well-known events in Vietnamese history will be depicted in several new animated film projects by young filmmakers next month.

Loa Thanh Ruc Lua (Flaming Citadel), a film using 3D technology, takes place from 257 to 179 BC under the reign of An Duong Vuong when Vietnamese lived in what was known as the Co Loa Citadel (now on the outskirts of Ha Noi) of the Au Lac kingdom.

The films five-minute trailer on YouTube has attracted more than 4,500 views.

The film is the first of a larger project called Hat Thoc va Nhung Chuyen Du Hanh Xuyen Thoi Gian (Rice and Time Travel) by a young filmmaker from Hac Than Studio.

Loa Thanh Ruc Lua, which will include five episodes of colourful images and simple language, will contain historical and fantasy elements.

Our film serves children aged 8-15. Weve worked hard to make our production completely different from Vietnamese ones which have boring pictures and contain very strict moral themes, Le Tham, scriptwriter at Hac Than Studio, said. "High-tech, sophisticated productions attract children.

Tham and her staff spent more than two years on filming.

We hope the first part of Loa Thanh Ruc Lua will be released next month, she said.

Another film project is Viet Su Kieu Hung (Valiant Vietnamese History), a series on historical events under the Tran and Ho dynasties between 1225 and 1400, launched by uoc Moi Studio.

The first episode, Tu Chien Thanh a Bang (Battle of a Bang), is divided into three chapters and uses 3D technology.

The first chapter, Giay (Paper), released in January, has attracted more than 142,000 views on YouTube.

The second chapter, Huyet Mach Tran Gia (Tale of Tran Dynasty) will be released later this month. Its teaser has attracted more than 10,000 view on YouTube.

"We have researched documents and books about the nations historical events and victories, and legendary heroes during filming, Tran Minh Tuan, head of the film crew, said.

YouTube hits

The animated film Con Rong Chau Tien (Offspring of Dragon and Fairy), a production by Tre Studio in co-operation with Redcat Motion, has attracted more than 9.1 million views on YouTube.

The 20-minute work is about the legend of Lac Long Quan (holy dragon) and Au Co (fairy bird) and their children (50 boys and 50 girls), who were hatched from 1,000 eggs.

It features the work and fights of the couple and their children to gain peace and happiness.

The producers spent more than VN2 billion (US$87,700) on the production.

Through Con Rong Chau Tien, young people can learn bravery, honour and responsibility. Theyll improve their knowledge about Vietnamese history and learn about independence," a viewer from ong Nai Province wrote in the comment section on YouTube.

Another 3D animated film, ai Chien Bach ang (The Victorious Bach ang Battle), a production by students at the HCM City-based Hong Bang University, has remained popular since its release in 2012.

It has attracted 70,000 views on YouTube three months since its release.

The six-minute film features the Bach ang Battle in 938, a famous event on the Bach ang River between the Vietnamese, led by Ngo Quyen, and Chinese invaders under the Han dynasty.

One dramatic scene depicts Ngo Quyen showing his troops how to place iron-clad wooden spikes, invisible during high tides, in the river-bed.

After Quyen launched a counter-attack at low tide, the enemys large boats ran aground as they were pierced by the pointed stakes.

The victory of Bach ang ended the 1,000-year rule of northern feudalism, opening a period of national independence and sovereignty.

We received financial support from several domestic sponsors and companies who shared their love for Vietnamese animations, said Phan Gia An, director of Tre Studio, with local media.

Animation is a promising market. Young filmmakers and film companies should be involved in the industry, he added.

I think animated films shown on social media will help lure young audiences back to Vietnamese movies, he said.  VNSABCNews.com(WALTERBORO, S.C.) -- She still calls the woman who kidnapped her at birth "mom," and Kamiyah Mobley says she's looking forward to the day when she walks out of prison.



In her first interview since Gloria Williams, 52, was sentenced on Friday to 18 years in prison, 19-year-old Mobley told ABC News' Good Morning America that she still "loves" Williams, visits her in prison and speaks to her on the phone several times a week.



In fact, she lives in Williams' Walterboro, South Carolina, home and is still getting acquainted with the biological mother and father, who spent years searching for her after Williams snatched her from a Jacksonville, Florida, hospital maternity ward in 1998 when she was just a few hours old.



"We actually talked today," she said of Williams. "I still do call her 'Mom.'"



She said Williams still treats her like a daughter.



"Oh yeah, she calls and still gets on me. Yes, she does," Mobley told GMA, while seated next to her lawyer, Justin Bamberg.



She said she realizes there are people who will never understand why she still has affection for the woman who abducted her. But to those who don't understand, she simply says, "They'll be fine."



She said she's paid many visits to her biological family in Florida, getting to know her real parents, Shanara Mobley and Craig Aiken, and the siblings she didn't know she had until Williams was arrested for her kidnapping in 2017.



"I've gone to Florida several times ... and I call them. We talk almost every day," Mobley said.



"I like it. It's new people who act just like you, they look just like you," she said. "It's almost just like extended family. You know, that's really what it feels like."



She conceded, however, that it's a balancing act to appease both her families. But since the court proceedings have ended, things have gotten easier.



"It just looked like a dysfunctional family reunion. So I'm glad that we're done with it cause it's like this side is over here, this side is over here. This side hates this side. This side doesn't want to talk to this side. It's just too much."



She said that the times she did go to Williams' court hearings, she usually sat in the back of the courtroom near the center aisle.



"I actually got closure now," she said. "Everything is done. No more court. No more back and forth."



In February, Williams pleaded guilty to walking into University Medical Center in Jacksonville on July 10, 1998, and kidnapping the infant. She posed as a nurse and took the baby from Shanara Mobley, then just 16 years old, telling her the child had a fever and needed to be examined.



Williams, who suffered a miscarriage about a month before abducting the baby, immediately drove the infant to South Carolina, where she raised her as her own.



"I know I wronged you and I'm so sorry," Williams told Kamiyah's birth parents during a court hearing last month. "So many days ... I wanted to pick that child up and say, 'Let's get in this car and go' -- I just couldnt."



Kamiyah Mobley said Williams was a good mother.



"She was very open to all my friends I brought through that door," she said of Williams. "She was one of those mothers, she was like open to sleepovers, open to company. Always smiling, always upbeat, up-tempo about everything. Very hard working, very hard working. She was actually getting her master's [degree] before she was incarcerated."



Kamiyah said she wasn't surprised that Williams was sentenced to 18 years on Friday during a hearing Williams asked her not to attend.



"I kind of figured that," she said of the sentence Williams received. "It was actually good ... because at least I didn't expect like eight and she got 18. I figured that was gonna happen. But I mean, she'll still be alive. They didn't give her like 30 or 45. She'll come out walking and talking. It's fine."



Kamiyah, who graduated from high school in 2016, has been busy working and doing a lot of paperwork, getting her social security number, birth certificate and trying to study to get her driver's license.



Bamberg, her attorney, said he's witnessed Kamiyah cope admirably with a very complicated set circumstances.



"It is what it is now, there are no more unknowns," Bamberg said. "I'm proud of her."



Kamiyah said she plans on going to college someday and hopes "that I can find a better way to balance everybody and everything."



"Who wants to sit around and be sad all day?" she said. "I mean, it doesn't help anything. It's not going to change anything. I learned that a long time ago."

Copyright  2018, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.By Dr. Agnes R. Viay*

It is said that an ounce of prevention is worth than a pound of cure. In the case of newborn screening, early identification leads to better outcome for the child.

Newborn screening has been around since the 1960s in Western countries. Due to technological advances throughout the years, the screening has expanded in scope. It has been available in Viet Nam for many years, but the newborn screening centre was established in 2014.

What is newborn screening?

Newborn screening is a set of tests administered to newborn babies to identify illnesses that may cause serious medical conditions affecting growth and development if left untreated. Since the test is performed before a baby has any observable symptoms, it allows a condition to be identified and managed before a problem occurs. Newborn screening DOES NOT diagnose an illness. It will only identify children who need further confirmatory tests.

When and how is the test done?

The usual procedure involves taking a small amount of blood from the heel of a newborn within 24-48 hours of birth. The timing of the test is very important. Performing it too soon may decrease the sensitivity of the tests and doing it much later may not give accurate results.

Why is newborn screening important?

Newborn screening is important because affected babies do not show any symptoms at birth and looks normal. By the time a symptom appears, the babys development may already be impaired. Thus, newborn screening allows the conditions to be identified early. With early detection, the conditions can be treated or managed in most cases.

What are the tests in newborn screening?

Different countries have different illnesses tested under newborn screening.

In Viet Nam, the government provides free newborn tests to detect Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency and congenital hypothyroidism. Other tests are charged.

G6PD enzyme deficiency results when the body lacks this enzyme. Babies with this condition may develop bleeding and anaemia if exposed to certain food or drugs.

Congenital hypothyroidism is a condition resulting from the lack of thyroid hormones. If left untreated, this may lead to growth failure and intellectual impairment.

In some international hospitals in Viet Nam, they offer more tests to check for more metabolic diseases. Likewise, a hearing screening is done prior to discharge. Early identification and intervention of hearing loss can prevent severe psychosocial and educational development delay, including speech delay.

There is also a Critical Congenital Heart Disease screening that is usually done within 24 hours of birth. It is a simple procedure to check the babys saturation (level of oxygen in the blood) with a probe. This test will determine if there is a likelihood of a critical congenital heart disease so that an early diagnosis can be made.  Family Medical Practice

* This is Dr. Agnes second stint at Family Medical Practice. She first joined us in 2006. In 2010, she had returned to her native country, the Philippines, and rejoined our paediatric team in 2013.

In addition to treating patients, Dr. Agnes oversees Family Medicals Saigon International Mother and Baby Association programme, which hosts regular gatherings discussing a range of pre- and post-natal topics with new and soon-to-be mothers.

She received her Doctor of Medicine degree at the University of Santo Tomas in Manila, the Philippines. She also received a certificate from the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates in the United States.

For more advice on any medical topics, visit Family Medical Practice Ha Noi at 298, I Kim Ma Street, Ba inh District. Tel: (024) 38430748. Email: hanoi@vietnammedicalpractice.com.

FMPs downtown Ho Chi Minh location is: Diamond Plaza, 34, Le Duan Street, District 1; 95, Thao ien Street, District 2. Tel: (028) 38227848. Email: hcmc@vietnammedicalpractice.com.

FMP a Nang is located at 96-98, Nguyen Van Linh Street, Hai Chau District, a Nang. Tel: (0236) 3582699. Email: danang@vietnammedicalpractice.com.THUA THIEN-HUE  Researchers in the former imperial capital city of Hue have voiced their concerns over the new list of 27 prominent Indochinese colonial-style architectural buildings in the city.

According to them, the list includes buildings that are not made in the colonial style while it excludes several buildings built during the French colonial period in the city. The researchers have demanded the elimination of those buildings from the list that have not maintained their status quo due to recent conservation work.

Phu Cam Cathedral, which is included in the list, is said to have a contemporary architectural style. The cathedral was originally built in the colonial style, but it was knocked down in 1960 to be constructed into a new building, which was completed in 2000. Hence, it cannot be a colonial building, said researcher Nguyen Xuan Hoa, former director of the local Department of Culture.

He added that the Morin Hotel and Memorial Pavilion for World War Martyrs should also be removed from the list due to changes in their structures and colours.

The original Morin Hotel was built in 1901 with two floors, but later in the 2000s, it was upgraded to four storeys. The Memorial Pavilion was built in 1920, with the inscription bearing the names of 78 Vietnamese and 31 French who had died during World War I. However, conservation work in 2017 destroyed all the inscriptions and changed the colour as well as many architectural patterns on the memorial.

Researcher Tran inh Hang, director of the Viet Nam Institute for Culture and Arts Studies in Hue, agreed with Hoa and said the Memorial Pavilion should not be included in the list as it had been changed.

The colonial building that formerly served as the memorial home for famed sculptor iem Phung Thi.  VNS Photo Phuoc Buu

Hoa, meanwhile, questioned why a 100-year-old typical colonial building, located on Le Loi Street, was not included in the list. This building serves as the office of the local Association of Culture and Art. It is a typical, beautiful building and was the landmark of cultural historical events in Hue, Hoa said.

The building is listed as one of the targets to be demolished to acquire land for a hotel.

Hang expressed his reservations about the list prepared by the provincial Peoples Committee, which said the list was to enhance the conservation of the colonial buildings in the city.

Hang said several colonial buildings that were not included in the list were targeted for demolition.

Earlier this month, the provincial Peoples Committee had announced a list of 27 prominent Indochinese colonial-style buildings, saying that these buildings will be protected from land revamp for business structures.

Buildings in the list include those built by French colonialists, such as the railway station, Quoc Hoc School where President Ho Chi Minh used to study, its neighbour Hai Ba Trung School and the twin buildings that serve as offices of the Hue Museum of Culture.

Hang said the committees efforts to recognise the colonial buildings came late as tens of typical colonial buildings on the streets of Le Loi, Hoang Hoa Tham and Ly Thuong Kiet had already been knocked down to construct new buildings.

According to a study of the Central Region Institute for Constructional Science and Technology, there are some 200 colonial buildings located around Hue. Colonial buildings are part of the architectural history of the city, but few have maintained their original architecture due to changes in the trends of construction.  VNSNatural: A photo by Nguyen Tuong Van.

by Nguyen Thuy Binh

HA NOI  The first multi-media exhibition featuring Shan Tuyet tea is giving visitors a chance to try a rare kind of Vietnamese tea with senses.

Entitled Tra Art, the exhibition includes installations, drawings, animated movies, photography installations and music by six artists including Nguyen Tuong Van, Nguyen Quynh Phuong, and Marcus Bowler, alongside Tran Thu Hang, Ngo Hong Quang and late illustrator and cartoonist Gerald Gorridge.

The exhibition is the fruit of a project initiated by photographer Van who is a graduate of Gobelins Paris. Van set up the Tra Art project when she was seeking inspiration for creative materials.

"I found this small pack of tea called Shan Viet when I went to the market in Paris," Van said. "It struck me as being beautiful and unique."

Abstract: An installation by Tran Thu Hang. Photo Nguyen Binh

After researching and tasting the tea for six months Van began asking some of her artistic friends to join the project. The artists went to Cao Bo Commune in Vi Xuyen District in of Ha Giang Province last September. They spent a week there meeting with Shan Tuyet tea makers.

Ha Giang is one of the oldest Shan Tuyet tea areas in Viet Nam. These tea trees buds and young leaves are covered in a thin layer of snowy hair, which gives it its name.

Van built up a portfolio of photos and recordings of the ancient tea trees, outlining their identity, and collecting portraits of the people she met throughout the trips.

Detail: Another photo by Nguyen Tuong Van

A screen showing the photos is guarded by dozens of transparent curtains, infused with Shan Tuyet tea leaves. Visitors must pass through the curtains, which diffuse the scent of the tea.

"I want the exhibition to inspire visitors, especially scientists, in the hope that they will do something to preserve primary tea forests in the country," Van said.

An installation by Hang, a sculptor and a graduate of the Viet Nam Fine Arts University, is also inspired by the trip to Ha Giang. She has created an installation in two parts, representing the terraced fields found in the northern regions.

The terraced fields are made from three layers of curtains, plaited by long bands of sponge which hang from the ceiling to the ground, creating a natural wavy affect. Visitors can walk through gaps in the curtains to reach the next layer of the installation.

Tree roots are made from elastic tubes, stitched together to form branches of roots.

Remniscent: One of the last paintings by late artist Gerald Gorridge. Photo Nguyen Binh

By coming to the exhibition visitors will have chance to see the last works produced by artist Gorridge, who passed away before finishing his final paintings. Seven of his drawings hang from the walls in bamboo frames, demonstrating his love for Viet Nam.

"It is interesting to see artworks at an exhibition made by the artists I love," said visitor Nguyen Duy Phuong. "I think people will enjoy using technology to see art by Phuong and Bowler."

Visitors can download the Zappar app on their phones to activate animations by scanning the paintings. Each painting comes with its own animation, providing some information about the Shan Tuyet tea.

Phuong and Bowler graduated from the Cambridge School of Arts, and Anglia Ruskin University, respectively. Phuong is a 2D illustrator and animator in Canada and Bowler is a 2D and 3D animator in the UK.

A musical composition by Ngo Hong Quang will be dedicated to the natural landscapes of Ha Giang. The composition is mixed with sounds recorded in the province.

The exhibition will run at the French Cultural Centre, on 24 Trang Tien Street until July 9.  VNSMONTBAZON, France  A rare porcelain moon flask that belonged to the 18th century Chinese Emperor Qianlong has been sold for 4.1 million euros (US$4.8 million) after a bidding war at an auction in France.

The blue, white and celadon flask  more than 200-years-old  was bought by a French woman who outbid 17 Chinese buyers during a sale that lasted about ten-minutes, according to auctioneers who described the buy as "historic and legendary".

The final sale including fees totalled more than 5 million euros  ten times the auctions opening price of 500,000 euros.

Emperor Qianlong, one of the longest serving Chinese emperors who ruled for much of the 18th Century, was an avid art collector.

The round-shaped moon flask has eight Buddhist symbols in stylised lotus petals and bears the seal of the emperor. It was discovered by chance in April in a French castle during a valuation of antiques and its original owners remain anonymous.

The buyer, who bid over the phone during the auction at Artigny chateau in Montbazon, central France, is expected to keep the flask at her apartment in Paris but it could potentially be loaned to a museum in future, the auctioneer said.

According to the auctioneer Philippe Rouillac, the flask was probably brought back from China by a French navy officer.

Far East art specialist Alice Jossaume said the flask is one of two flasks from Emperor Qianlong that exist.

The other flask was sold for 1.8 million euros at Sothebys in Hong Kong in 2016.  AFPHA NOI  The second runner-up of Vietnam Top Fashion Models 2018, Chi Nguyen, represents Viet Nam at the Miss Asia World contest, held from June 9-29 in Beirut, Lebanon.

Chi Nguyen, whose full name is Nguyen Thi Chi, was born in the southern province of Vinh Long. The 28-year-old model is 1.72m tall and weighs 48kg, with a body measurement of 86-58-90cm. She was also the first runner-up at the 2017 Charming Ao Dai contest.

Chi was selected for the international beauty pageant for her dynamism and professional performance.

She said she would join all the activities and marginal contests at the pageant, including traditional costume, talent show, photo shoot and interview. She will be the first Vietnamese candidate to perform magic tricks in the talent round of an international beauty contest.

Miss Asia World has been organised since 2016 with the participation of contestants from Asia, the Middle East and Europe. This years event will see 40 beauties competing for the title. The contest aims to provide the contestants with further insights into the diversified culture of Asia. Representatives from Thailand and Nepal were crowned at the previous pageants.

Meanwhile, applications are open for the contest to select the Vietnamese candidate to represent the country at the upcoming 10th Miss Supranational.

Applicants must be Vietnamese nationals aged 18-25. They must be at least 1.65m tall and fluent in spoken English. The deadline for applications is July 20.

The final of Miss Supranational Vietnam 2018 contest will take place at the Sheraton Walker Hill in Seoul, South Korea, in August. The contest will be aired live on Koreas KBS World Channel as well as on more than 50 international channels across the country.

The winner will be awarded US$50,000 and will represent Viet Nam at the Miss Supranational, scheduled to take place in Poland in December this year.  VNSNgo Thi Minh.  Photo baoquangninh.vn

Ngo Thi Minh, Vice Chairwoman of the National Assembly Committee for Culture, Education, Youth and Children, speaks to Tuoi tre Cuoi tuan (Youth Weekend Edition) on how best to utilise the State budget in general education.

It is reported that 20 per cent of our annual State budget is allocated to education. Do you know how it is regulated and used?

Education has been given the top priority by the Vietnamese Party, National Assembly and the government. However, even the Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) doesnt know how such a big sum has been used. Principally speaking, the MOET has to work closely with the Ministry of Finance and concerned ministries and agencies in the management of such a big sum of money.

But, in reality I have to admit the co-ordination between the MOET with concerned Government agencies or offices is very loose and lacks transparency. Even the MOET does not know how the money is distributed among concerned agencies and how it is used. So in my opinion, the Government should ask the MOET to report on how the money is distributed and used. For example, the MOET should know how the State budget is distributed to general schools, tertiary education and others, and is the money is used properly or not.

I should say the lions share of the State budget has gone to public schools. For example, at present we have about 1.3 million teachers who are now working from kindergartens to colleges/universities, but more than 90 percent of them are staff in public schools. We cant negate that the number of students attending public schools leaves them over crowded, so even if the State keeps pouring money into public schools, I dont think that it will help much. This is one of the important points we need to consider carefully in the near future when we revise the Law on Education to ensure the State budget will be properly and fairly distributed and used in our education system.

In reality, up to 80 per cent of the State budget proportion reserved for the education sector is used to pay teachers. Do you think the State budget is properly used?

I dont think the State budget is properly distributed and used. If up to 80 per cent or in some localities the figure is 90 per cent, of the State budget is used to invest in the school labour force, what should we do with the remaining 20 per cent or 10 per cent budget in teaching and other activities or for investment in private schools?

This reality shows we have focused too much on public schools and their teaching staff. And most of the school children want to go to public schools rather than go to private schools. It is high time for us to create a level playing field between public and private schools.

We hope in a near future, Viet Nam will have a Law on Public-Private Partnership and both public and private schools will be treated equally before law. And the practice of ask and you shall receive will be something of the past.

At present, students enrolment is public schools is much bigger than that of private schools due to fees in private schools being so much higher. Do you have any comment about this?

In my opinion, the root cause of the issue is to change the approaching method. Lets start from the 2013 Constitution on the basis of the human rights and the citizens rights.

Under the 2013 Constitution, after 2020 compulsory education for all children will be the 9th grade, not the 5th grade as nowadays. So what will be the States role then?

As I have mentioned, we need a level playing field for both public and private schools. So if the State invests some VN8 million (US$350) on a student in a public school per year, the State should think how it can help private schools  not in term of money, but through Government policies, such as land policy or credit policy. These policies will surely help cut down the school fee that students attending private schools will be reduced.

As you have mentioned above, a huge sum of the State budget has been used to pay teachers. To lessen the burden on the budget, should the Governments policy of streamlining the public staff be applied in the education sector?

I think it can be done. But as we all know, the education sector has its own characteristics that we have to analyse carefully before making the decision.

Why do I say so? There are two reasons as follows:

First, it is not yet a good time for us to start streamlining the school teaching staff. We have to consider case by case before deciding to transfer a teacher to another job or mission

Second, to pay high salaries for teachers teaching in public schools, it is necessary to transfer some 10 per cent of teachers who are now staff of public schools to work in private schools. In other words, we want to raise the number of teachers teaching in private schools to 40 per cent and only 60 per cent are in the public schools.

In my opinion, the ball now is on the Ministry of Education and Trainings court and further more it is their responsibility.  VNSAn agreement was signed by VTV General Director Tran Binh Minh and ICRT President Alfonso Noya Martinez during their talks in Cuba as part of the formers four-day visit to the Caribbean country that ended on Sunday. VNA/VNS Photo Vu Le Ha

HAVANA  Vietnam Television (VTV) and the Cuban Institute of Radio and Television (ICRT) will exchange television products and collaborate in production as well as personnel training, especially in the field of digital television, over the next three years.

An agreement was signed by VTV General Director Tran Binh Minh and ICRT President Alfonso Noya Martinez during their talks in Cuba as part of the formers four-day visit to the Caribbean country that ended on Sunday.

Minh said VTV will assist Cuban film delegations to Viet Nam in making films on leader Fidel Castros historic visit to Viet Nam 45 years ago (September 1973), and stands ready to expand co-operation in this field.

For his part, Martinez described Viet Nam and VTV in particular as a model which has overcome difficulties to develop.

In an interview with a Vietnam News Agency correspondent, Martinez said Viet Nams experience in audiovisual technologies would be valuable for Cuba.

He said he believes that there are many areas for experience sharing between Viet Nam and Cuba, thus helping the two nations to enrich their cultural knowledge and promote mutual understanding.

At a working session with representatives of the Cuban Ministry of Culture and the Institute of Cinematographic Art and Industry of Cuba (ICAIC), Minh called on the Cuban side to support VTV correspondents in making documentaries on Cubas culture.

In response, VTV will provide support and documents that the Cuban side needs, he promised.

On this occasion, ICAIC Vice President Benigno Iglesias and head of the VTV International Co-operation Department Ho Kien signed an agreement on free-of-charge exchange of audiovisual products.

Under the agreement, the ICAIC will hand over the first batch of six documentaries on Viet Nam by late director Santiago Alvarez, 71 news bulletins on the anti-US war in Viet Nam produced by the institute between 1960-90, and two other documentaries by director Isabel Santos to VTV.  VNSBINH THUAN  National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan has called for calm in Viet Nam and urged people to believe in the Party and State.

She was speaking after a large number of people took the streets Sunday angry at the draft Law on Special Administrative and Economic Units, or the special economic zones (SEZs) bill.

Ngan insisted the Party and State would listen when the people speak.

She made the statement at the opening of Mondays National Assembly session after chaos broke out in the southern province of Binh Thuan as people called for the NA to postpone the bill.

If approved, the bill would allow foreign investors to lease land in SEZs for up to 99 years.

The NA Chairwoman said some people misunderstood the matters nature and the bills content, leading to such unwanted incidents.

It was reported rocks were thrown and damage caused to police cars and the provinces Peoples Committee office on Sunday.

By 8am this morning, police was able to clear the traffic jam in the provinces roads and vehicles were able to travel normally.

National Highway 1A across the province was jammed from the afternoon until late at night. Hundreds of traffic police were mobilised to prevent disruption.

The incident started around 5pm on Sunday when a group of people gathered at Binh Thuan Provinces Peoples Committee office and shouted out their objections to the SEZs bill.

Local police arrested several people on suspicion of being the ring leaders.

The crowds were dissolved by 2am this morning, all roads leading to the Peoples Committee office was put under control for further investigation.

Many areas in Tuy Phong District of the province were also crippled on Sunday, but were moved on by the early hours of today.

Local police said some officers were slightly injured during the incidents but confirmed no human loss was reported.

NA Chairwoman Ngan said the SEZs billed was supposed to be voted for approval at this NA session, but after listening to the public voice, the countrys legislative body has announced that the draft law would be considered at the sixth National Assembly session, to commence in October.

Also on Monday session, 85 per cent of the NA deputies has voted to postpone the adoption of the bill.  VNSQUEBEC  Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and his Canadian counterpart Justin Trudeau reached consensus on measures to step up bilateral ties across fields during their talks in Quebec, Canada, on June 10 (local time).

The two Government leaders agreed to enhance cooperation in politics-diplomacy; trade, investment and development; national defence and security; education-training; employment; science-technology; culture and sports; and exchanges between citizens and localities of the two countries.

PM Phuc thanked PM Trudeau for inviting Viet Nam to attend the Group of Seven (G7) Outreach Summit and visit Canada, while applauding significant contributions of the host nation to the G7 events.

The Vietnamese PM also expressed his gratitude to the Government and people of Canada for their valuable support to Vietnamese people during the wartime as well as the present cause of national construction and development.

Viet Nam always wishes to advance the comprehensive partnership with Canada, he added.

PM Trudeau said Viet Nam is Canadas important partners in the region. He praised Viet Nams role in the international arena as well as contributions made by PM Phuc and the Vietnamese delegation to the G7 Outreach Summit, especially Vietnams initiatives regarding cooperation in raising responding capacity for coastal communities, developing fisheries sustainability and protecting the marine environment.

The PM noted his deep impression of Viet Nams land and people, and appreciated the countrys warm welcome for him and the Canadian delegation during their visit to Viet Nam in November 2017.

Host and guest highlighted the developments in the friendship and cooperation between the two countries over the past time, with the most noteworthy being the establishment of the comprehensive partnership in November 2017 and the signing of the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) agreement in March 2018.

They consented to continue their coordination in forging a result-oriented and effective comprehensive partnership in the context that the two countries are sharing many interests at both bilaterally, regionally and globally levels, for the interest of their people, and for peace, stability, cooperation and development in Asia-Pacific and the world at large.

The two leaders agreed to enhance high-level contact and all-level delegation exchanges, and promote relations via the party and parliament channels to increase mutual understanding and trust while enacting measures to facilitate trade and investment and coordinating to implement the CPTPP.

They concurred to boost cooperation in medical military training, war consequence settlement, anti-terrorism, cyber security, and the United Nations peacekeeping operations. They also agreed to create favourable conditions for Vietnamese students to study in Canada, with the Canadian side to establish an educational representative office in Viet Nam.

The two sides will step up collaboration in climate change adaptation, clean energy and high technology development, farm produce processing, innovation, and in helping the Vietnamese community in Canada to make more contributions to the development of Viet Nam-Canada rapports.

They agreed to coordinate in organising activities to mark the 45th anniversary of diplomatic ties (1973-2018), including a Viet Nam Culture Week in Canada.

The two PMs welcomed the signing of cooperation agreements in science-technology, education-training, and transport infrastructure during PM Phucs visit, saying that the agreements contributed to realising the bilateral comprehensive partnership.

They agreed to maintain and enhance their close coordination at regional and international forums such as the United Nations (UN), the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Forum, the Francophone Community, and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

They highlighted the central role of ASEAN in the regional architecture and expressed support for the efforts of building a law-abiding, strong and prosperous ASEAN Community, and welcomed ASEAN initiatives to maintain peace, security and stability in the region.

PM Phuc said he advocated the development of relations between ASEAN and Canada and welcomed Canada to boost connectivity with the Asian-Pacific region.

Exchanging viewpoints on regional and global issues of mutual concerns, the two PMs agreed on the necessity to ensure security, safety and freedom of navigation and aviation in the East Sea, and voiced support of the settlement of disputes in the waters via peaceful means with full respect for diplomatic and legal procedures without use or threat to use force, and with respect for international law, including the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties (DOC) in the East Sea, towards the early conclusion of the Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC), while promoting the use of the ocean for peaceful purposes and marine environmental protection.

The same day, PM Phuc and the high-level Vietnamese delegation left Canada for Viet Nam, concluding their attendance in the G7 Outreach Summit and visit to Canada.  VNSANNOUNCEMENT OF INVITATION TO THE FIRST GENERAL MEETING OF SHAREHOLDERS OF BINH SON REFINING AND PETROCHEMICAL JOINT STOCK COMPANY

To: Shareholders of Binh Son Refining and Petrochemical Joint Stock Company

Binh Son Refining and Petrochemical Company Limited has the honour to inform and invite Shareholders to participate in the first General Meeting of Shareholders of Binh Son Refining and Petrochemical Joint Stock Company which will be held as follows:

1. Time: 7.30 a.m 21st June 2018

2. Place: Ocean Blue Convention Center, No. 268 Tran Hung Dao Street - Quang Ngai City - Quang Ngai Province

3. General Meeting Content:

3.1. Approve the Charter of organization and operation of Binh Son Refining and Petrochemical Joint Stock Company.

3.2. Approve the Management Regulation of Binh Son Refining and Petrochemical Joint Stock Company.

3.3. Approve the Company Development plan for the period of 2018  2022 and the Business plan for 2018.

3.4. Approve the Number and the Election of member of Board of Directors, Supervisory Board.

3.5. Approve the Plan of salary, remuneration and other benefits of the Board of Directors/ Board members, members of the Supervisory Board in 2018.

3.6. Approve the Selection of Auditor for Financial reports of 2018.

3.7. Other contents as prescribed.

4. Participants:

4.1. All shareholders of Binh Son Refining and Petrochemical Company Limited at 5th June, 2018.

4.2. Shareholders could authorize representatives to attend in case you could not directly attend the General Meeting. The authorized person should show the authorization (as the form attached and/or uploaded on the Companys website). The authorized person is not allowed to re-authorize the third party.

5. Registration for participation and comment on the content of the General Meeting, nomination and candidacy:

5.1 Shareholders please confirm your attendance (or The authorization to attend) no later than 02 days prior to the date of the General Meeting with Organizing Committee.

5.2. Shareholders please refer to the General Meeting document on the Companys website: www.bsr.com.vn (Section of Equitization/Publish News). Shareholders have the right to propose issues in writing and all the nomination, candidacy please submit to the Organizing Committee at least 2 days before the date of the General Meeting.

For more information, please do not hesitate to contact the Organizing Committee:

Address: 208 Hung Vuong Avenue, Tran Phu Ward, Quang Ngai City, Quang Ngai Province

Contact person: Mr. Vo Tien Binh  Economics & Planning Division

Phone: 0255.3825825 (Ext: 8781) Fax: 0255.3825826 Email: dkdh@bsr.com.vn

6. Attending the General Meeting:

When attending the General Meeting, Shareholders or The authorized please bring and present the following documents: (1) Invitation letter, (2) Valid ID card or Passport; (3) Authorization (as the form attached). The legal representative of Shareholder attending the General Meeting should bring and present documents (1), (2) and (4) Valid copy of Business registration of the organization.

This Announcement is for replacement of the Invitation to attend the General Meeting in case Shareholder has not received the Invitation.

Best Regards!

ON BEHALF OF EQUITIZATION STEERING COMMITTEE

CHAIRMAN OF BOARD OF DIRECTORSHA NOI  Much like home testing kits, the oral HIV quick test method will be launched in Viet Nam for the first time, an official of Ministry of Healths (MoH) Viet Nam Administration for HIV/AIDS Control (VAAC) said.

According to Vo Hai Son, head of HIV/AIDS Surveillance, Monitoring, Evaluation and Testing Division under VAAC, the MoH is conducting 80,000 HIV tests through saliva in Ha Noi and HCM City. The test will also be launched in Thai Nguyen Province, Can Tho City and Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province in the coming time.

The oral HIV self-test showed 99 per cent accuracy in detecting HIV antibodies in high-risk populations, Son told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper.

High-risk groups include people who inject drugs, homosexual men, and people who engage in unprotected sex.

A US-based HIV testing manufacturer has agreed to sell the kits to Viet Nam for around US$2 per unit, whereas most kits online go for up to $20 per unit, he said.

People at high risk of HIV infection can buy this product and test themselves at home, getting results in as little as 15 minutes.

Much like home pregnancy tests, the oral HIV self-test can only serve as a preliminary method of diagnosis. People who get positive results after quick testing should go to medical facilities to seek the most accurate results, Son said.

Early HIV detection plays an important role in preventing and treating the disease, especially for pregnant women. Early detection of HIV will help the process of treatment and prevention of infections in children," said Son.

At the press conference late last week, VAAC warned about increasing HIV infections among men who have sex with men (MSM).

A recent survey conducted in Ha Noi showed that the HIV infection rate in MSM accounted for 12 per cent of the overall number, Son said.

The risk of HIV infection could increase as HIV prevalence among MSM is high, he added.

According to statistics from VAAC, about 200 HIV-infected children are born each year.

Previously, 500-600 babies were infected with HIV every year from their mothers. It is hoped that this number will drop to 60 babies or less in the future if there are early preventive measures, said Hoang inh Canh, deputy head of VAAC.  VNSHCM CITY  The Peoples Committee of HCM City has approved a policy that would help attract experts and scientists, particularly in the fields of IT, biotech, logistics, nanotech, and the support industry, in the 2018-20 period.

The city aims to attract experts who can help develop high-tech zones, economic zones and industrial zones.

The city will develop a recruitment plan and set up a consulting team that will be responsible for selecting the most suitable experts to ensure that all the seclected experts have enough ability to help the city develop its projects most effectively.

Under the policy, the city will provide initial subsidy of VN80 million to VN100 million (US$3,500 to $4,300) to each scientist and expert after they sign a contract.

They will receive a monthly salary based on the coefficient used to calculate the pay of senior experts under Decree 204/2014.

Experts and scientists who are professors will be paid at a coefficient of 9.4, while the others will be paid at a coefficient of 8.8

In addition, experts and scientists will receive an allowance of VN50 million to VN1 billion per person per research project.

The city authority will also provide housing or support 50 per cent of the rent (up to VN7 million per month) for the experts and scientists.

Nguyen Van Hau, chairman of the HCM City Commercial Arbitration Centre, said that besides salaries and allowances, the city must improve the working environment and create networking opportunities for experts and scientists.

The citys current policies on attracting highly skilled professional have resulted in the hiring of only 15 experts between 2015 and 2017, five of whom are foreigners. Currently, only 10 of these experts are working.  VNSA NANG  Since November 2017, visitors to the central coastal city of a Nang have been able to easily access to all tourism-related information via a smartphone-based app called Danang Fantasticity, which incorporates a smart chatbot.

Danang Fantasticity was developed by Hekate, a technology start-up which grew out of the local business incubator named DNES.

Its co-founders, Nguyen Minh uc, 27, Pham Quoc Huy, 27 and Duong Phuoc Thien, 25, became close friends at university. Together they left their former jobs, which were considered stable, to pour their heart and soul into developing chatbot applications.

A chatbot is an AI-based piece of software which is designed to simulate humans conversational behaviour and is used for different purposes including customer service and information acquisition.

It was only in 2016, at a conference for Microsoft developers, that their technology was introduced.

Microsoft CEO, Satya Nadella, said that chatbots are a combination of AI and smartphone users behaviour. The passion for innovation was then the main motivation to drive us forward, digging into this field, uc told Tien Phong (Vanguard) newspaper.

Sumi, a chatbot running on Skype, a telecommunications application, was among their first products. The artificial assistant Sumi knows how to chat, troubleshoot and help users in many fields. Moreover, it is integrated with other applications including news or photo editing.

On the first day launching our marketing forums, Sumi immediately went viral with 1,000 people starting conversation. Some even thought that it was a real person, he added.

In April 2016, after Facebooks CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced the integration of chatbot technology into the firms Messenger application, they decided to develop Sumi for the application and approached 40,000 users in just one month.

Counting both Skype and Messenger, until now, Sumi has interacted with more than a billion people around the world.

With such a bright start, at the end of 2016, they leaned further into the field with the establishment of Hekate, a company specialising in chatbot tech.

Young people nowadays are interested in chatting online and using social networks. Therefore, we think chatbots will become a new development trend that startups all share. Furthermore, chatbots shows their outstanding advantages in providing quick and continuous responses to customer queries, as well as helping to reduce labour cost. Therefore, besides Sumi, we also offer different types of chatbot which can be flexibly used in business, services, finance and customer management, Thien said.

Hekates products have been used at several local and international events to answer participants questions and demands. Hekates chatbot was chosen to be the tourism information app. This helped make a Nang the second city in South East Asia, following Singapore, using chatbot technology in public services.

Using Danang Fantasticity, tourists can access all information about the city, from weather and traffic to local hot spots, at their fingertips, said uc.

According to a Nang City Peoples Committee, in 2017, the city welcomed 6.7 million visitors, of which foreign tourists accounted for 34 per cent.

At the time the application was piloted, there were 10,000 people from 12 countries using the chatbot. In April 2018, Danang Fantasticity became the citys official tourism app.

Besides developing chatbots for business purposes, Hekate has demonstrated their desire to spread the values of this innovation by launching Messnow, a chatbot platform without coding, in June 2017.

Following some simple steps, anyone can create their own chatbot to answer messages automatically on Facebook Messenger.

With this platform, one can create a chatbot in just five minutes. Messnow offers several templates for different business areas  hotels, restaurants or cafes for example, Huy said.

After six months, 5,000 chatbots have been created using Messnow, reaching up to two million people.

Compared with foreign-developed platforms, Messnow is friendlier to Vietnamese users. Furthermore, as it is multi-lingual with about 30 languages available at the moment and able to learn from conversations with customers, the more it interacts, the more natural its answers will be. We believe that Messnow can help enterprises answer all questions that their customers have, said uc.  VNSLONG AN  Investigative police in Can Giuoc District in Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta province of Long An on Sunday started legal proceedings against a man for alleged obscenity with his 10-year-old daughter.

The 46-year-old man, who lives in Phuoc Ly Commune, has been put under temporary detention.

In a video clip that was recently circulated on social media, the young girl told a woman about getting raped and hit multiple times by her father.

According to the girl, her father threatened her not to talk about the incident to anyone.

After collecting witness testimonies and conducting a medical examination of the girl, the police decided to arrest the man.

The case is under further investigation.

Earlier this month, HCM Citys Supreme Court sentenced 78-year-old Nguyen Khac Thuy to three years in prison for sexually abusing children in July 2017.

In a report submitted to the National Assembly last week, Minister of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs ao Ngoc Dung revealed that in the first five months of this year, there were 682 cases of child harassment, with 735 victims. At least 572 of these were cases of sexual abuse.  VNSHCM CITY  National carrier Vietnam Airlines has recommended passengers be present at Tan Son Nhat International Airport in HCM City as early as possible to avoid traffic jams.

Passengers have been warned not to pass through Truong Son Road to avoid the congestion caused by road improvements.

To meet increasing travel demand during peak times of late May until mid August, the airlines has added up to 3,000 flights with 530,000 seats on domestic routes including Ha Noi/HCM City to a Nang/Nha Trang/Phu Quoc and vice versa.

During this time, up to 470 flights are on the schedule per day, increasing 20 per cent compared with normal days.

Vietnam Airlines has also recommended passengers book flight tickets early and use self-check-in services online or at the airports counter to save time.

During national or summer holidays, roads leading to HCM Citys Tan Son Nhat airport usually clog due to high volume of traffic.

Experts suggested solutions such as widening roads, improving transport connectivity and greater use of technology to prevent congestion outside the airport.

On the busiest day of Tet (Lunar New Year) holidays this year, the airport welcomed 124,000 passengers with more than 800 flights.

The annual passenger number was reported to exceed the airport capacity.  VNSSINGAPORE  Broad smiles and a firm handshake kicked off the first meeting between Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, as Singapore prepares to host a historic summit whose twists and turns have enraptured the world.

The two leaders discussed relations between their countries, developments in North Korea and the region, including recent positive developments on the Korean peninsula, said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a statement.

Prime Minister Lee complimented the bold and admirable decision by Chairman Kim and President of the United States Donald Trump to come together for this Summit, it said.

Lee also wished Kim success for the summit, and expresssd the hope that it would help along prospects for peace and stability on the Korean peninsula and the wider region.

Come Tuesday (June 12), after a volley of taunts and overtures that saw planned talks between North Korea and the United States scrapped and then resurrected, Kim and US President Donald Trump will finally come face-to-face at the Capella hotel on Sentosa.

They are looking to hammer out a deal that may see North Korea giving up its nuclear weapons programme in exchange for security guarantees.

Lee is slated to meet separately with each leader at the Istana in the run-up to the summit.

Yesterday evening, he had his meeting with Kim, who earlier in the day was welcomed at Changi Airport by Foreign Affairs Minister Vivian Balakrishnan and Education Minister Ong Ye Kung after his Air China flight touched down.

Today, Lee will meet Trump, who is due to arrive on Sunday night from Canada, where he skipped out on the G-7 summit early and angered allies with barbed insults and threats of a trade war.

Ahead of the landmark talks, which many hope will pave the way for permanent peace in the Korean peninsula as well, camaraderie was in the air at the Istana, as Kim and Lee, speaking through an interpreter, exchanged warm greetings.

Thanking Lee for hosting the summit, Kim said: "The entire world is focusing on the historic summit between the DPRK (North Korea) and the US, and thanks to your sincere efforts... we were able to complete the preparations for the historic summit, and I would like to thank you for that."

If it is successful, he added, he was sure Singapore would go down in history.

Lee said in response: "Thank you for coming to Singapore. Thank you for also asking to hold the summit in Singapore."

He added that Singapore had been following developments on the Korean peninsula for a very long time. "We have watched the struggles, and the sacrifices and the progress of the people," he said.

It was a busy yesterday for Lee, as preparations for the summit around the island kicked into high gear.

He had earlier in the day visited Singapore Armed Forces troops deployed at Palawan Kidz City on Sentosa, as well as the Home Team command post.

He also made a stop at the international media centre at the F1 Pit Building, which will be the base for the thousands of journalists in town to cover the meeting between Trump and Kim

Singapore was tapped to host the summit because of its neutrality and security, the White House had said in May.

The North Koreans recognised Singapores independence in 1967, and have had an embassy in the country since the 1970s. And Singapore has over the decades a built a relationship of trust and reliability with the US.

Just before he made his early exit from the G7 summit in Charlevoix Canada, Trump told reporters: "I feel that Kim Jong Un wants to do something great for his people and he has that opportunity. He wont have that opportunity again.  The Straits Times/ANNWASHINGTON  The US blamed Canada on Sunday for the disastrous ending to the G7 summit, saying Prime Minister Justin Trudeau "stabbed us in the back," while American allies held Washington responsible.

Just minutes after a joint G7 communique was published Saturday in summit host city Quebec, President Donald Trump launched a Twitter broadside, taking exception to comments made by Trudeau at a news conference and saying he had instructed US representatives not to endorse the joint communique.

Trumps team kept up the barrage of criticism on US media Sunday.

Trudeau "really kinda stabbed us in the back," top US economic advisor Larry Kudlow said on CNNs "State of the Union."

"He did a great disservice to the whole G7."

US trade advisor Peter Navarro, speaking on Fox News Sunday, reinforced that message.

"Theres a special place in hell for any foreign leader that engages in bad-faith diplomacy with President Donald J. Trump and then tries to stab him in the back on the way out the door," he said.

Kudlow sought to tie Trumps reaction to the upcoming summit with Kim Jong Un, saying the North Korean leader "must not see American weakness."

Trump -- who has a history of hair-trigger responses to slights -- landed in Singapore on Sunday for the Tuesday summit meeting with Kim.

Before his departure from Canada the previous day, he tweeted: "Based on Justins false statements at his news conference, and the fact that Canada is charging massive Tariffs to our US farmers, workers and companies, I have instructed our US Reps not to endorse the Communique as we look at Tariffs on automobiles flooding the US Market!"

German Chancellor Angela Merkel , late Sunday, called Trumps revocation of support for the G7 joint communique "sobering and a little depressing", while adding, in a rare one-on-one interview with ARD public television, "but thats not the end" of the Group of Seven.

Insulting

Trump in his tweet said Trudeau had "acted so meek and mild during our @G7 meetings only to give a news conference after I left saying that ... he will not be pushed around. Very dishonest & weak".

Trudeau had told reporters that Trumps decision to invoke national security to justify US tariffs on steel and aluminum imports was "kind of insulting" to Canadian veterans who had stood by their US allies in conflicts dating back to World War I.

"Canadians are polite and reasonable but we will also not be pushed around," he said.

Trudeau said he had told Trump "it would be with regret but it would be with absolute clarity and firmness that we move forward with retaliatory measures on July 1, applying equivalent tariffs to the ones that the Americans have unjustly applied to us."

After Trumps angry tweets, Trudeaus office issued a brief response: "We are focused on everything we accomplished here at the G7 summit. The Prime Minister said nothing he hasnt said before -- both in public, and in private conversations with the president."

Canadas Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland added that "Canada does not conduct its diplomacy through ad hominem attacks, we dont think that its a useful or productive way to do business and perhaps we refrain particulary from ad hominem attacks when it comes to our relationship with our allies."

On Sunday, Trudeau ignored the barbs from Trumps advisors, tweeting a link to the G7 communique and hailing the "historic and important agreement we all reached."

"Thats what matters," he wrote.

Throwaway remarks

The outburst against Trudeau, and by association the other G7 members, is only the latest incident in which Trump has clashed with Americas closest allies, even as he has had warm words for autocrats like Kim and Russias Vladimir Putin.

French President Emmanuel Macrons office reacted Sunday by saying that "international cooperation cannot be dictated by fits of anger and throwaway remarks."

Reneging on the commitments agreed in the communique showed "incoherence and inconsistency," it said in a statement.

When Trump left Quebec, it was thought that a compromise had been reached, despite the tension and the determination of European leaders Macron and Merkel to push back against the US presidents protectionist policies.

Officials from European delegations quickly leaked copies of the joint statement, and it was published online moments before Trump tweeted.

On board Air Force One, an AFP reporter was told that Trump had approved the agreement, only to be told later of the tweets. A senior US administration official said that Trump had been angered by Trudeaus comments.

The gig is up

The joint communique that was thrashed out over two days of negotiations in Canada vowed that members would reform multilateral oversight through the World Trade Organization (WTO) and seek to cut tariffs.

"We commit to modernize the WTO to make it more fair as soon as possible. We strive to reduce tariff barriers, non-tariff barriers and subsidies," it said, reflecting the typical language of decades of G7 statements.

But Trump had already said he would not hesitate to shut countries out of the US market if they retaliate against his tariffs.

"The European Union is brutal to the United States... They know it," he insisted in his departing news conference. "When Im telling them, theyre smiling at me. You know, its like the gig is up."

From Singapore early Monday, Trump continued to tweet that the United States protected NATO countries "these same countries that rip us off on Trade ... Not fair to the PEOPLE of America!"

European officials said Trump had tried to water down the language in the draft communique on the WTO and rules-based trade. In the end, that language stayed in and it was only on climate change that no consensus was reached.  AFPROME  Malta on Sunday reiterated its refusal to open its ports to an NGO migrant rescue ship in the Mediterranean with hundreds of people on board, ignoring calls from Italys hardline interior minister to not "look the other way".

Some 629 migrants were saved by SOS Mediterranee Saturday and are stuck aboard the French NGOs ship Aquarius, which is currently between Malta and Sicily waiting for a secure port at which to dock.

Matteo Salvini, in a joint statement with Danilo Toninelli, minister in charge of the Italian coastguard, insisted that Malta "cannot continue to look the other way when it comes to respecting precise international conventions on the protection of human life."

"Thats why we ask the government in Valletta to take in the Aquarius in order to offer first aid to the migrants on board," the statement continued.

Maltas government replied saying Prime Minister Joseph Muscat had spoken to Italian premier Giuseppe Conte, and underlined "that Malta is acting in full conformity with its international obligations".

"As such Malta will not take the said vessel in its ports," the statement continued.

Media reports earlier said Salvini had threatened to close access to Italian ports for migrant rescue ships if Malta fails to act.

In the meantime Conte said that Italy has sent two patrol ships with doctors on board "ready to intervene and ensure the health of anyone on board the Aquarius who might have the need".

Speaking to AFP, a Maltese government spokesman insisted that the rescue of the migrants took place in the Libyan search and rescue area and was headed up by the rescue coordination centre in Rome, meaning Malta has no legal obligation to take in the migrants.

Anti-migrant rhetoric

Speaking to news channel Sky TG24, Aquarius crew member Alessandro Porro said that they were north of Malta and had "received no communications from the Maltese authorities".

"The people we saved yesterday were in a difficult condition, at least 50 were at risk of drowning. We need to have an idea of what port to go to, something that up to now we havent had."

The migrants were rescued by Aquarius in six separate night-time operations in the central Mediterranean on Saturday.

The French organisation said that among those saved and brought on board are 123 unaccompanied minors, 11 small children and seven pregnant women.

Italys spat with Malta began after its reported refusal to come to the aid of another rescue ship Seefuchs, which was stranded with 126 migrants on board due to violent seas until it was allowed to dock in the Sicilian port of Pozzallo on Saturday.

"If anyone thinks I wont move a muscle while we have another summer of landings, landings and more landings, well thats not what Im going to do," Salvini told reporters.

In the meantime some in Italy have offered to take in the migrants, with mayor of Taranto, Rinaldo Melucci, saying that the Calabrian port city was "ready to embrace every life in danger".

"Our land has always been one of refuge, I dont know how you can send away 629 human lives," he added.

Mayor of Naples Luigi de Magistris said on Twitter that "if a minister without a heart leaves pregnant women, children, old people, human being to die, the port of Naples is ready to welcome them".

Two-year deadlock

The same day Italian authorities held the migrant rescue boat Sea-Watch 3 for 12 hours after it brought 232 people to Reggio Calabria, on the south-western tip of the mainland.

Italian police questioned the boats captain for more than four hours, according to the NGO, and journalists aboard were asked to hand over video footage of the rescue operation, which took place on June 5.

Sea-Watch said police also questioned some of the rescued migrants who, after being processed by the authorities, are likely to end up in reception centres.

Sea-Watch said it requested help from the coastguard in Malta to send boats to aid the rescue mission but Malta refused.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Sunday called for an EU-wide border protection force, as well as joint asylum authority and collective standards for granting or refusing applications for protection.

"We need a real European border police that can act if necessary even if it displeases one of the (EU) states with external borders," she said in an interview with ARD public television.  AFPSEOUL  North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Donald Trump arrived in Singapore Sunday for an unprecedented summit, with Pyongyangs nuclear arsenal at the top of the agenda and the US president calling it a "one-time shot" at peace.

Bringing the Korean War to a formal end 65 years after hostilities ceased will also be on the table at the first-ever meeting between a North Korean leader and a sitting president of its "imperialist enemy".

It is an extraordinary turnaround from the tensions of last year, when Kim accelerated his weapons programmes -- earning the North more sets of UN Security Council sanctions -- and the two men traded personal insults and threats of war.

But critics charge that the meeting risks being largely a triumph of style over substance.

Kim arrived in Singapore on board an Air China 747 that, according to flight tracking website Flightradar24, took off from Pyongyang in the morning ostensibly bound for Beijing then changed its flight number in midair and headed south.

He was driven into the city centre in a stretch Mercedes-Benz limousine accompanied by a convoy of more than 20 vehicles, and later met Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, thanking him for hosting the event.

"If the summit becomes a success, the Singaporean efforts will go down in history," Kim said.

Trump landed in the evening after a long flight from Canada and the G7 meeting there, telling Singaporean officials who welcomed him that he was feeling "very good" about the summit.

Authorities imposed tight security around the summit venue and the luxury hotels where the leaders were to stay -- including installing extra pot plants outside Kims accommodation to obstruct reporters views.

Not just a photo op

Washington is demanding the complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearisation of the North, while Pyongyang has so far only made public pledges of its commitment to the denuclearisation of the peninsula -- a term open to wide interpretation -- while seeking security guarantees in return.

In a report describing Kims departure from Pyongyang, KCNA said a "changed era" had come about, adding that views on achieving denuclearisation and a "permanent and durable peace-keeping mechanism on the Korean Peninsula" would be exchanged at the summit.

But former US deputy secretary of state Richard Armitage said he expects little progress on the key issue of defining the parameters of denuclearisation .

"The success will be in the shutter clicks of the cameras," he said. "They both get what they want."

Trump insisted last week that the summit would "not be just a photo op", saying it would help forge a "good relationship" that would lead to a "process" towards the "ultimate making of a deal".

But as he embarked for Singapore he changed his tune, calling it a "one-time shot" and adding he will know "within the first minute" whether an agreement will be possible.

"If I think it wont happen, Im not going to waste my time," he said.

On Sunday Pope Francis struck an optimistic note, saying he hoped the talks might "ensure a future of peace for the Korean peninsula and the whole world."

But the value of the event -- long sought by the North, and which Trump apparently impulsively agreed to in March, reportedly without consulting his advisers -- has been called into question by many seasoned experts.

"People call it a historic summit but... it is important to understand that this summit was available to any US president who wanted to do it and the point is no US president wanted to do this, and for good reasons," said Christopher Hill, a former lead US nuclear negotiator with North Korea.  AFPBill Clinton "on the mend" after hospitalized with infectionBy WestKyStar Staff & Senator Mitch McConnell Jun. 08, 2018 | 10:40 PM | WASHINGTON DC

In April, Senator McConnell introduced the bipartisan measure with Senators Ron Wyden (D-OR), Rand Paul (R-KY), and Jeff Merkley (D-OR), and it has garnered support from an additional 24 Senators. This development comes at an appropriate time as earlier this week the Senators cheered the passage of their bipartisan resolution designating June 4-10, Hemp History Week.





The Hemp Faming Act legalizes hemp as an agricultural commodity by removing it from the list of controlled substances. It also gives states the opportunity to become the primary regulators of hemp production, allows hemp researchers to apply for competitive federal grants from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and makes hemp farmers eligible to apply for crop insurance.





Securing the Hemp Farming Act as part of the 2018 Farm Bill has been a top priority of mine. I would like to thank Chairman Roberts and the cosponsors of the Hemp Farming Act  especially Senator Wyden and Representative James Comer in the House -- for supporting those efforts. I look forward to continuing to work with my Senate colleagues on this and many other issues important to Kentucky agriculture as we move towards consideration of the Farm Bill, said Senator McConnell. As a result of the hemp pilot program, which I secured in the 2014 Farm Bill, Kentuckys farmers, processors, and manufacturers have begun to show the potential for this versatile crop. Todays announcement will build upon that progress to help the Commonwealth enhance its standing at the forefront of hemps return to American agriculture. I look forward to continuing to work with my Senate colleagues and my partners in Kentucky  including Kentucky Commissioner of Agriculture Ryan Quarles -- to grow hemps bright future.





Hemp has proven itself as a job-creating growth industry with far-reaching economic potential. Its just common sense that farmers in Oregon and across our country should be allowed to cultivate this cash crop, said Wyden, the lead Democratic sponsor. Our bipartisan legislation strikes Americas outdated anti-hemp laws from the books so American consumers can buy products made with hemp grown in America. Im grateful to Sen. McConnell for his leadership in getting the Hemp Farming Act into the Senate Farm Bill and Im proud to keep working with our bipartisan cosponsors  Senators Merkley and Paul  to pass our bill into law.





The Hemp Farming Act of 2018 builds upon the 2014 Farm Bill, which included a provision secured by Senator McConnell to legalize hemp pilot programs. Congressman James Comer (R-KY) is the leading voice on the issue in the House of Representatives.

The Senate Farm Bill must now be approved by the full committee. Following approval, it will go the Senate floor for consideration.



U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) was successful in securing the Hemp Farming Act of 2018 in the Senate Farm Bill, which was released today. Senator McConnell, a senior member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, worked with Committee Chairman Pat Roberts (R-KS), to ensure that his legislation to legalize industrial hemp was included in the farm policy bill. The Senate Agriculture Committee will officially consider the legislation on Wednesday, June 13.past daily news Sep 13 (1) Sep 09 (15) Sep 06 (12) Sep 04 (10) Sep 03 (10) Aug 31 (17) Aug 29 (14) Aug 26 (13) Aug 22 (11) Aug 21 (12) Aug 19 (21) Aug 14 (6) Aug 13 (10) Aug 10 (10) Aug 08 (9) Aug 07 (10) Aug 06 (10) Aug 05 (8) Aug 03 (8) Aug 02 (7) Aug 01 (7) Jul 31 (14) Jul 29 (1) Jul 27 (7) Jul 25 (5) Jul 24 (10) Jul 22 (11) Jul 19 (16) Jul 17 (6) Jul 16 (10) Jul 15 (13) Jul 12 (7) Jul 11 (5) Jul 10 (8) Jul 08 (8) Jul 07 (3) Jul 06 (5) Jul 05 (8) Jul 04 (11) Jul 03 (8) Jul 02 (7) Jul 01 (5) Jun 30 (8) Jun 28 (7) Jun 27 (8) Jun 26 (7) Jun 25 (8) Jun 24 (6) Jun 23 (6) Jun 22 (9) Jun 20 (5) Jun 19 (9) Jun 18 (8) Jun 15 (9) Jun 13 (13) Jun 11 (11) Jun 09 (19) Jun 06 (10) Jun 04 (10) Jun 03 (8) Jun 01 (6) May 31 (5) May 30 (5) May 29 (6) May 28 (7) May 27 (7) May 26 (6) May 25 (4) May 23 (6) May 22 (6) May 21 (4) May 20 (7) May 19 (9) May 18 (4) May 17 (6) May 16 (5) May 15 (7) May 14 (3) May 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(1)Giving a big presentation tomorrow? Have an important exam? That can waitwe're going out on a school night.

You could call it an ingenious marketing move. Or perhaps it's just scratching an itch. But Traci Des Jardins' new bar solves the age-old problem: Where are we supposed to drink when it's only Monday or Tuesday night? At School Night, obvi.

Des Jardins (Jardiniere, The Commissary, Arguello, etc) has partnered up with Adam Mendelson, cofounder of the Dogpatch events space The Pearl, and Enrique Sanchez, her bar manager of Arguello, to open an exclusively weeknight spot serving up weekend-festive Peruvian and Mexican flavors.

But if you weren't in the know, you'd miss out on this new cool kids hot spot: Only a small sign above the dark doorsomewhat hidden on 19th Street, around the corner from the main action on Thirdannounces the entrance to School Night; and if you show up on a Thursday through Saturday night, you can expect to find the doors locked.

But people are catching on, thanks both to Des Jardins' fame and the bustle happening at The Pearl, which has been hosting A+ events over the past two years (we've been for wine awards, whiskey tastings, and weddings). Once you tug through the heavy opaque doors, you'll find the 87-seat restaurant packed on a Wednesday night; the industrial-chic space, designed by artist Alexis Laurent, reflects a mixed crowd and moody ambience in a wall of massive mirrors. Two-story ceilings and skylights further open up the room.

With one of the country's best chefs at the helm, you'll expect the menu to raise the bar for drinking snacks: It delivers, with perfectly prepared dishes such as a Mexican chopped salad; an addictive cebiche; and an array of items from the Bertha (the wood-burning oven)including baby back ribs in tomatillo barbecue sauce; tacos al pastor; and queso fundido with chorizo. Des Jardins has even managed to rework the Impossible meat (of the famous vegetarian burger, which she serves versions of both at Jardiniere and Public House) in the form of crispy meatballs. More adventurous eaters can snack on skewered duck hearts and gizzards.

Of course, it's Monday night and you're here to drink. And since it's tough to choose from Sanchez's hand-crafted pisco, agave, and whiskey cocktailswe're fans of the Spring Break (mezcal, hibiscus, pineapple gum, lime, and soda)no one will blame you for enjoying more than one, school night be damned.

(Sarah Chorey) Don't care to advertise that you're out drinking on a school night? Traci Des Jardins' new bar is discreetly tucked on 19th Street.

// School Night, 601 19th St. (Dogpatch), schoolnightsf.comYoung Universities Summit panelists at USF during the talk on translational research - bridging the gap from campus to community.

Karen Holbrook, Regional Chancellor for USF Sarasota-Manatee, listens in at the summit.

Paul Sanberg, senior VP for research, innovation, and knowledge enterprise at USF.

Rivka Carmi came from the Negev desert in southern Israel, where Ben-Gurion University has brought life to an area that once was sand. Angina Parekh traveled from South Africa, where the University of Johannesburg has built a new legacy upon the foundation of higher learning institutions that were once racially segregated.All in all, 261 people from 88 universities -- and 41 nations -- assembled at the University of South Floridas Marshall Student Center to share and to learn about common challenges faced by younger universities.The occasion was the first-ever Young Universities Summit on the North American continent.When you say Harvard or Cambridge or Singapore, everybody knows it and they say, Wow!', right?,'' USF President Judy Genshaft told the crowd as the event neared its conclusion Thursday, June 7. For us to keep ourselves very vibrant and moving forward, we have to understand that the senior universities arent just sitting by quietly either.To become known, younger universities -- those less than 50 years old -- must market themselves.Marketing is about a drumbeat that keeps going all the time -- so the people really know what you are all about, Genshaft says.The real work begins now that the summit is over.Now is the time for us to really solidify through our longer-term engagements, to make sure that this summit was worthwhile, Genshaft says.The summit, which ran from June 5 to 7, was organized by the U.K.-based Times Higher Education (THE), which has been holding these events in places like Barcelona, Spain, and Brisbane, Australia.USF, founded in 1956, is categorized as a Golden Age university, a category slightly older than Young Universities. The summit served both of these types of universities, which face real challenges competing with institutions that have established reputations dating back centuries. The older universities also may benefit from funding by generations of families.During the event, THE announced its latest university rankings, with USF ranked 36 among the Top 200 Golden Age universities worldwide. Top in the ranking was the University of California in San Diego.There were only 14 from the United States. Universities were judged on 13 performance indicators, including teaching, research, citations, international outlook and industry income.By isolating Golden Age Universities -- those founded between 1945 and 1967 -- the Times Higher Education has effectively leveled the playing field, allowing for a more objective comparison of like universities -- those that are young, ambitious, innovative, agile and responsive, and arguably most relevant in contemporary society, explains Ralph Wilcox, USF Provost and Executive Vice President.There was no official sub-category for American universities in the ranking; U.S. rankings are done later in the year in conjunction with the Wall Street Journal. Of the U.S. public universities in the Golden Age ranking, however, USF was fifth on the list according to its global rank, up from seventh last year.This prestigious ranking by a highly regarded global publication affirms the focused, high impact contributions that USF is making, across the Tampa Bay Region and beyond, through student success, partnerships with business, industry and the public sector, along with research and economic development, Wilcox says.He notes partnerships with business contributed to its high ranking.Certainly our partnership with business and industry puts us at a very very high level of performance relative to even older universities, he says.Increased competition was responsible for a drop from 34 in 2017 to 36 in the global ranking, USF officials say. USF tied with the University of Illinois at Chicago for 36th place.Foreign universities are moving forward at a faster pace than the U.S. institutions, Roger Brindley, USF System VP for USF World, which oversees global engagement, tells 83 Degrees in an interview.The globalization genie is out of the bottle and U.S. universities not only have to understand that, but they have to appreciate how to work in this new world of global universities, says Brindley, who holds a doctorate in education. We cannot blink. We have got to focus on being globally engaged or we will be left behind.American universities may be more concerned about freedom of thought and discovery than other nations, where companies may regard universities as their research and development arms. These nations are leaping forward and connecting universities, but also connecting business and industry, says Wilcox, who has a doctorate in Global Studies.Of course you get multi-national heavyweights coming in and seducing professors and students with millions and millions of dollars of investment, he adds.During the three-day event, Carmi was part of a panel moderated by Karen Holbrook, Regional Chancellor for USF Sarasota-Manatee . The topic was stepping out of the shadows.The president of Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Carmi shared the story of how the university was started almost 50 years ago with the mandate of spearheading regional development. Though they are in the desert far from the center of Israel, they are making the desert bloom, she says.By staying loyal to their mission, they have gained a reputation for dealing with the now global issues about water, solar energy, and agriculture, Carmi says. They also are regarded as the nations cyber hub.We became experts in those issues that are very important worldwide, she explains.In connecting academia and industry, theyve connected the campus to a high-tech park. Startups and spin-off businesses have developed.Ultimately, education is about the students and how well they do. So a session on student outcomes featured a panel chaired by Paul Dosal, USFs VP for Student Affairs and Student Success.Parekh, Deputy Vice-Chancellor at the University of Johannesburg, talked about how the university was part of a restructuring of the entire university infrastructure, which was pared from 36 to 26 institutions. In the 14 years since the merger, it has succeeded in becoming more representative of black South Africans, she says.Now 80 percent [of the study body] is black South African, which is an amazing achievement, she says. Forty percent of the faculty also is black South African.The summit agenda also included a segment on Translational research -- bridging the gap from campus to community, which was emceed by Paul Sanberg, Senior Vice President for Research, Innovation and Knowledge Enterprise; President of USF Research Foundation and Founder of the National Academy of Inventors.I know that the ideas and experiences are going to help shape all of our institutions for years to come, he told the gathering, describing himself as a child of young universities because of his education at York University in Toronto, Canada, and Australian National University in Canberra.Sanberg talked about the expansion of the universitys role in the community. As the global economy has expanded, universities role has broadened to encompass driving innovation and economic development. As a result, university leaders have had to think differently.Without disruption there is no innovation, he says.Sanberg also points out hes been privileged to witness the transformation of a region, a rising star in the modern economy.A culture of innovation has become ingrained in our institution, he adds. No old traditions are holding us back.As the lessons from the summit sink in, how might things be different at USF going forward?USF is going to have to do a much better job in collaborating with other universities that look like us, but complement our strengths, Wilcox says.The goal is to ensure were better recognized and better known, he explains.For Joachim Hahn, VP for Academic Affairs at the University of the North, Colombia, at Barranquilla, who attended the summit, it was a chance to speak about how his university has stepped out of the shadows of poverty to help people in an uneducated part of his country. It also was an opportunity to visit old friends at the University of South Florida and learn from colleagues across the world.Although Hahns university sent some of its engineering students to USF for their Ph.D.s, Hahn had never been to USF or Tampa.Its beautiful, he says.

High-Grade Cobalt and Nickel Results Underpin DFS Advancement at Goongarrie

Perth, June 10, 2018 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Ardea Resources Limited ( ASX:ARL ) ( OTCMKTS:ARRRF ) is pleased to announce outstanding infill drilling results from the Patricia Anne deposit which has confirmed the near-surface, high-grade nature of the cobalt and nickel mineralisation with consistent scandium credit. The infill drilling program is part of the DFS program which has followed on from the recently announced Goongarrie Nickel Cobalt Project PFS.Highlights:- In-fill drilling confirms near-surface, high-grade cobalt and nickel mineralisation at Patricia Anne orebody- Results include the following:o AGSR0055 42 m at 0.16 % Co, 1.43 % Ni and 46 g/t Sc from 2 mo AGSR0059 26 m at 0.18 % Co, 1.13 % Ni and 36 g/t Sc from 12 mo AGSR0061 42 m at 0.15 % Co, 0.86 % Ni and 35 g/t Sc from 8 mincluding 14 m at 0.25 % Co, 1.01 % Ni and 46 g/t Sc from 10 m- Excellent results show lateral continuity of mineralisation at Patricia Anne, a hallmark of goethitic laterite deposits like Goongarrie- The high-grade Patricia Anne orebody is earmarked as the start-up deposit at Goongarrie, providing rapid payback opportunities- Significant scandium mineralisation evident from surface providing potential additional by-product benefits within the cobalt-nickel zones- The sonic drill rig used to provide "run-of-mine"-grade samples suitable for future pilot-plant testing- Drill result interpretation from Elsie Tynan, Elsie North, Pamela West and Canegrass expected shortly- The ongoing 80x40m infill drilling is part of early-stage DFS work for Goongarrie, following the successful PFSPatricia Anne has been outlined as the starting deposit when Ardea commences production at Goongarrie. The high-grade and low strip ratio of Patricia Anne will offer Ardea a robust early capital payback in the initial years of mine life.Continuity of mineralisation at Patricia Anne ensures predictability and accuracy for mine scheduling which significantly diminishes operational start-up risk at Goongarrie.The drilling has also confirmed extensive, near-surface scandium mineralisation both overlying and within the cobalt-nickel zone. Current metallurgical programs indicate a scandium credit ranging from 30-100g/t with extractions exceeding 90% which provides a significant benefit to project cashflow.Additionally, the current GNCP DFS drilling has confirmed significant neutraliser carbonate and kaolin clay within Tertiary-aged channel sands overlying the cobalt-nickel mineralisation. The ability to source an onsite neutraliser supply has the potential to provide significant cost benefits to the project. Metallurgical evaluation is continuing using wide diameter diamond drill core.Commenting on the successful drill results, Ardea Managing Director Brett Clark stated this was a significant step forward for the early-stage DFS program. "We are extremely pleased with the results received from Patricia Anne, as they confirm both the reliable continuity of the mineralisation whilst offering an exceptional orebody to begin mining at Goongarrie. With such high-grades demonstrated at surface, this will ensure the financial fundamentals of the project remain extremely positive and will allow Ardea to ensure rapid payback of initial start-up costs. The identification of scandium and potential onsite neutraliser source gives Ardea further encouragement as we continue with the various DFS workstreams."About the Patricia Anne orebodyPatricia Anne is one of the constituent lateritic orebodies that contributes to the reserves defined at the Goongarrie Nickel Cobalt Project. It is located at the northern end of the Goongarrie South area and is one of the 13 defined deposits modelled for mining at Goongarrie (see Appendix 1 in link below).The Patricia Anne deposit measures approximately 1,400 metres by 300 metres and is characterised by near-surface, high-grade, flat-lying mineralisation with minimal overburden. These characteristics are ideal for commencement of mining, so start-up Pits 1 & 2 of the Goongarrie Nickel Cobalt Project mining schedule will be located at Patricia Anne.Drill results from Patricia AnneArdea's recent drilling shows conclusively that laterally continuous, shallow high-grade cobalt and nickel laterite mineralisation is located at Patricia Anne.Continuity of mineralisation is strong between drill holes (Figures 2-4 in link below). This is a hallmark of the Goongarrie Project in particular and of 'goethite style (yellow-brown) laterite nickel-cobalt deposits in general (yellow-brown "limonite" of tropical laterites). It contrasts sharply with the more nontronitic clay style (green "saprolite" of tropical laterite) deposits which can exhibit marked variation between holes and are more difficult to mine and process.Remodelling of the current orebody to understand the scandium resource is underway including a rework of the full KNP resource. A scandium JORC 2012 resource will be defined using the results of the current drill programs over the coming months.Some of the shallow high-grade mineralisation is illustrated by recent results, which include:6671440 mN sectionAGSR0054 - 14 m at 0.27 % cobalt, 1.18 % nickel and 21 g/t scandium from 6 mincluding6 m at 0.59 % cobalt, 1.95 % nickel and 27 g/t scandium from 8 mAGSR0055 - 42 m at 0.16 % cobalt, 1.43 % nickel and 46 g/t scandium from 2 mincluding34 m at 0.19 % cobalt, 1.60% nickel and 50 g/t scandium from 8 m6670960 mN sectionAGSR0059 - 26 m at 0.18 % cobalt, 1.13 % nickel and 36 g/t scandium from 12 mand12 m at 57 g/t scandium from surfaceAGSR0058 - 38 m at 0.04 % cobalt and 1.08 % nickel and 46 g/t scandium from 6 mincluding2m at 0.11 % cobalt, 1.21 % nickel and 50 g/t scandium from 30 mand6 m at 567 g/t scandium from surface6670880 mN sectionAGSR0061 - 42 m at 0.15 % cobalt, 0.86 % nickel and 35 g/t scandium from 8 mincluding14m at 0.25 % cobalt, 1.01 % nickel and 46 g/t scandium from 10 mand8 m at 100 g/t scandium from surfaceAll defined intercepts from the Patricia Anne drill program are listed in Appendix 3.Scandium by-product potential at GoongarrieAs can be seen above the nickel and cobalt results were supported by scandium mineralisation from surface. Scandium grades are modest but are of a grade sufficient for recovery through a modification to the flowsheet defined in the PFS, with no impact on cobalt and nickel recovery.Ardea is buoyed by the potential for scandium be a high value by-product at Goongarrie.Other metals at Patricia AnneThe current drilling has also highlighted other by-product metals. In particular, anomalous levels of chromium, vanadium, aluminium and gold (see Appendix 5) are distributed throughout the profile:- Aluminium is abundant in many sections and the precipitation of aluminium sulphate or high purity alumina (HPA) for battery or sapphire glass manufacture is under metallurgical evaluation as part of the variability program- Chromium and vanadium are evident at low- to medium-levels, however their extraction as a by-product is being investigated- Gold is present in highly anomalous numbers in some areas. Though not expected to be extracted using the Goongarrie flowsheet, Ardea will use the geological knowledge as part of the adjacent Bardoc Tectonic Zone (BTZ) gold project exploration.Ongoing drill program at GoongarrieThis first phase of RC drilling at Goongarrie (3,700m of drilling in 96 drill holes) is now complete. Data collected from this program will bring specific areas of the future open pit mine down to a 40mE x 80mN drilling density.The second phase of drilling (199 drill holes for over 7,600m) is underway and is bringing the drilling density down to 40mE x 40mN in specific areas.The ongoing drill program is designed to:- Upgrade resources and reserves through higher density drilling. This will allow better accuracy and greater confidence in defining mining schedules for the planned Goongarrie mine.- Provide continuing core samples for variability testing of mineralised zones. This will ensure that variations of the main style of mineralisation will perform to the same high standard or higher as that tested to date. This will also provide greater confidence for mine scheduling.- Provide sample for production of cobalt sulphate and nickel sulphate marketing samples. Production of high-quality cobalt sulphate and nickel sulphate is required for appraisal for potential off-takers and strategic partners. There has been strong interest from several parties to receive such samples as soon as possible.The sonic drill rig used for bulk core sampling is capable of coherent sample recovery from very loose or soft materials like that at Goongarrie.Announcements are pending for drilling results at the Elsie Tynan and Elsie North orebodies as well as Pamela West orebody at Goongarrie South, and the Canegrass deposits further south in the Big Four area (see Appendix 1 in link below for locations). Results are showing continuity of high-grade mineralisation as expected, and will be released upon completion of quality assurance programs, data processing, analysis, interpretation and modelling.To view tables and figures, please visit:About Ardea Resources Ltd

Ardea Resources Ltd (ASX:ARL) (OTCMKTS:ARRRF) (FRA:A91) is an ASX listed resources company, with 100% controlled Australian based projects, prioritising a three-pronged value creation strategy which is:

- development of the Goongarrie Nickel Cobalt Project, which is part of the Kalgoorlie Nickel Project, a globally significant series of nickel-cobalt deposits which host the largest nickel-cobalt resource in the developed world, coincidentally located as a cover sequence overlying fertile orogenic gold targets;

- advanced-stage exploration at WA gold and nickel sulphide targets within the Eastern Goldfields world-class nickel-gold province; and

- the demerger of the NSW gold and base metal assets with planned in-specie share distribution, with projects located within the Lachlan Fold Belt world-class gold-copper province.Classic Continues Hunt for High Grade Gold with Commencement of RC Drilling Program



Commencement of Drilling at Forrestania

Table 1: Proposed Drilling --------------------------------------------------------------- Prospect Drill Type No of Holes No of Metres --------------------------------------------------------------- Kat Gap RC 12 1,100m Lady Lila RC 5 360m Lady Magdalene RC 12 1,060m Van Uden West RC 5 480m --------------------------------------------------------------- TOTAL 34 3000m ---------------------------------------------------------------

Perth, June 12, 2018 AEST (ABN Newswire) - WA-focused gold exploration and development company Classic Minerals Limited ( ASX:CLZ ) ("Classic", or "the Company") is pleased to announce that it has commenced RC drilling at its Forrestania Gold Project (FGP) in Western Australia.Highlights:- ~3000m of RC drilling underway at Kat Gap, Lady Lila, Lady Magdalene and Van Uden West- Assay results expected early July- Targeting high grade cross-cutting lodes at Lady Magdalene- Follow up drilling targeting high grade zones at Kat Gap, Lady Lila and Van Uden West after successful campaign in April 20181. INTRODUCTIONClassic CEO Dean Goodwin said:Following the fantastic results of our last drilling program, including a brand-new discovery at Van Uden West and multiple high grade gold hits at Kat Gap and Lady Lila, we are very excited to be heading back to the FGP to undertake an aggressive follow up drill program. I am also thrilled to be heading back to Lady Magdalene to hopefully unlock major high-grade lodes which will bolster the resource with quality oz.Over the past 12 months, the Company has been busy gaining a thorough understanding of the local geology and controls on mineralisation. All of the drill programs undertaken at FGP by Classic have yielded high grade gold hits. There is no doubt in my mind that this is a major gold camp containing significant undiscovered resources and we are on the right path to discover and delineate these ore bodies.2. DRILLING PROGRAMFollowing the encouraging results (see ASX announcement dated 15 May 2018) from its last program at Kat Gap, Van Uden West and Lady Lila, the Company will be targeting these areas again with additional drilling. In addition, Classic will also be returning to Lady Magdalene to continue efforts to locate high grade mineralisation that has been missed by previous explorers.The Company plans to undertake the following drilling activities in early June 2018:3. VAN UDEN WEST - A BRAND NEW GOLD DISCOVERYPrevious drilling results from Van Uden West confirms the discovery of a significant new zone of gold mineralisation. Preliminary interpretation suggests that the prospect is similar in geological characteristics to Kat Gap with gold mineralisation sitting adjacent to the granite/greenstone contact. Classic has planned 5 holes for 480m total to test strike/depth potential of the new discovery.Previous drilling (May 2018) at Van Uden West intersected significant gold mineralisation potentially striking in a north-west/south-east direction with a shallow easterly dip - mineralisation remains open. Drill highlights include: 12m at 5.75 g/t Au from 59m including 1m at 25.60 g/t Au from 59m.4. LADY LILA DRILLING - ANOTHER BOUNTY GOLD MINE?Lady Lila is a BIF hosted gold deposit that is similar in geological characteristics to Bounty and Blue Vein (held by KDR) which are prolific, high grade gold deposits in the region. Previous drilling by Classic at Lady Lila confirmed the existence of a thick, steep east dipping ore zone warranting additional follow up. The upcoming drill program (5 RC holes for 360m total) will focus on extending the mineralisation along strike and at depth. Drilling at Lady Lila was historically on 100m - 200m spaced drill lines. Classic's recent drilling at Lady Lila was focused on extending high grade air-core/RC hits on the 6429860N line. Drilling either side of this section, Classic confirmed mineralisation extending both North and South along strike. Importantly, mineralisation remains open at depth and additional follow up drilling will be undertaken immediately to continue to grow this deposit.In May 2018, Five holes (FLLRC001 - FLLRC005 inclusive) for 366m were drilled at Lady Lila with all holes intersecting gold mineralisation. Drill highlights include: 14m at 3.70 g/t Au from 71m including 1m at 13.20 g/t Au from 79m.A cross section of Lady Lila is displayed in Figure 3 (see link below). The present gold mineralisation models indicate a steep easterly dip; future drilling will be to test a possible vertical dip, as gold deposits in the area have been known to steepen at depth (e.g., Bounty and Blue Vein (>1M oz Au) held by Kidman Resources).5. KAT GAP DRILLING - SHALLOW, HIGH GRADE AND UNDER-EXPLOREDKat Gap contains a shallow unmined gold deposit discovered in the 1990s, which was the subject of resource estimations and scoping study by Sons of Gwalia in 2003. High grade RC drill intercepts include 15 m @ 15.1 g/t Au from 39 m depth and 6 m @ 19.1 g/t from 17 m depth. The open-ended deposit lies within a 5 km long geochemical gold anomaly that has seen very little drill testing, and after the previous drill program just completed, Classic sees great potential for the discovery of a substantial shallow high-grade gold deposit within the Kat Gap project area and the upcoming program will be testing for extensions of the high grade system. Classic has 12 holes planned at Kat Gap for a total of 1,100m.In May 2018, Classic drilled 4 holes for 210m at Kat Gap and is pleased to confirm that two holes (FKGRC001 and FKGRC002) returned gold mineralisation striking in a north-south direction - mineralisation remains open. Drill highlights include: 5m at 14.10 g/t Au from 17m including 1m at 48.40 g/t Au from 20m.6. DRILLING AT LADY MAGDALENE - CHASING TRANSFORMATIVE HIGH-GRADE MINERALISATIONLady Magdalene is a large, modestly graded deposit which appears to host high-grade, cross-cutting gold lodes within existing drill lines that are 100-200m apart (see announcement dated 22 March 2018). Previous diamond drilling successfully confirmed the existence of such lodes and the planned drilling will further test the extent of strike, dip and grade of these high grade cross-cutting lodes. Classic has 12 holes planned at Lady Magdalene for a total of 1,060m.Structural readings taken from recent orientated diamond holes MADD003 and MADD004 (see ASX announcement dated 22 March 2018) revealed several quartz veins and narrow shear zones exhibiting similar orientation characteristics to Lady Ada.Once the logging and structural work was completed, the core was assayed and returned promising gold intercepts in those zones identified as having similar orientation to Lady Ada including 6.5m @ 3.30 g/t Au from 56.5m (including 1m @ 9.52 g/t Au from 60m). This is a very significant development for the company as the current large, modestly graded Lady Magdalene deposit appears to host high grade cross cutting zones of gold mineralisation which are analogous to the high grade Lady Ada mine.The upcoming RC drilling program is designed to further delineate the dip, plunge and general direction of the high grade structures within Lady Magdalene. The follow up program is designed to confirm the existence of high-grade cross cutting lodes as suggested by relevant orientation data and start to delineate grade, size and extent of the Lady Ada analogue zones within Lady Magdalene.7. ABOUT THE FORRESTANIA GOLD PROJECTThe FGP Tenements (excluding Kat Gap and Lady Lila) are registered in the name of Reed Exploration Pty Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of ASX listed Hannans Ltd ( ASX:HNR ). Classic has acquired 80% of the gold rights on the FGP Tenements from a third party, whilst Hannans has maintained its 20% interest in the gold rights. Hannans' 20% interest is free-carried, meaning Hannans is not required to fund any activities on the FGP until a decision to mine has been made. For the avoidance of doubt Classic Ltd owns a 100% interest in non-gold rights on the Kat Gap and Lady Lila Tenements including but not limited to nickel, lithium and other metals.The FGP contains an existing Mineral Resource of 5.3 Mt at 1.39 g/t for 240,000 ounces of gold, classified and reported in accordance with the JORC Code (2012), with a recent Scoping Study (see ASX Announcement released 2nd May 2017) suggesting both the technical and financial viability of the project. The current post-mining Mineral Resource for Lady Ada, Lady Magdalene and Lady Lila is tabulated below (see link below).Additional technical detail on the Mineral Resource estimation is provided, further in the text below (see link below) and in the JORC Table 1 as attached to ASX announcements dated 14th March 2017 and 21st March 2017.To view tables and figures, please visit:About Classic Minerals Limited

Classic Minerals Limited (ASX:CLZ) is an exploration and development company focused on gold deposits in Western Australia's famous Goldfields region. In March 2017, Classic acquired the Forrestania Gold Project, with seven tenements stretching across 450km2. Strategically located in a very prospective region, the FGP is an underexplored package surrounded by multimillion ounce deposits such as Bounty (2Moz) and Yilgarn Star (1.5Moz).

Operational Update

Brisbane, June 12, 2018 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Brisbane-based conventional gas developer State Gas Limited ( ASX:GAS ) is pleased to provide an operational update on its PL 231 Reid's Dome - Cattle Creek conventional gas project located South West of Rolleston in the Bowen Basin in Central Queensland.HIGHLIGHTS- Drilling planned for Qtr 3 2018 to test gas target in the north-west of PL 231 identified from seismic reprocessing.- Phase 2 (Southern Area) seismic data reprocessing expected to be completed during Qtr 3 2018.As previously announced, the Phase 1 (Northern Area) seismic reprocessing undertaken by the Company identified a new potential gas pool located in the north-west of PL 231 (North-West Gas Prospect). The North-West Gas Prospect appears to be hosted within the Cattle Creek Gas Sands and appears to consist of multiple zones to a depth of approximately 500 metres.The Company is currently preparing to undertake drilling to test the North-West Gas Prospect. Reid's Dome North-West-1 will be drilled into the target zones. If gas is detected, the well will be logged and tested to provide information on the flow and permeability characteristics of the formation. The drilling of this well will complete the Company's sole funding obligations under the Joint Operating Agreement for PL 231.Drilling is expected to be undertaken during the 3rd Quarter of 2018.The Phase 2 (Southern Area) reprocessing of historic seismic in the Southern Area of the permit is also expected to be completed in the 3rd Quarter of 2018. Seismic data in the Southern Area is more limited than that available for the Northern Area.In addition, the Company is continuing its investigation of options to monetise the gas identified in the Cattle Creek Formation in the Central North gas pool centred around Primero-1, as well as any new gas located in the North-West Prospect.To view figures, please visit:About State Gas Limited

State Gas Limited (ASX:GAS) is a Queensland-based developer of the Reid's Dome gas field, originally discovered during drilling in 1955, located in the Bowen Basin in Central Queensland. State Gas is 100%-owner of the Reid's Dome Gas Project (PL-231) a CSG and conventional gas play, which is well-located 30 kilometres southwest of Rolleston, approximately 50 kilometres from the Queensland Gas Pipeline and interconnected east coast gas network.

Permian coal measures within the Reid's Dome Beds are extensive across the entire permit but the area had not been explored for coal seam gas prior to State Gas' ownership. In late 2018 State Gas drilled the first coal seam gas well in the region (Nyanda-4) into the Reid's Dome Beds and established the potential for a significant coal seam gas project in PL 231. The extension of the coal measures into the northern and central areas of the permit was confirmed in late 2019 by the Company's drilling of Aldinga East-1A (12 km north) and Serocold-1 (6 km to the north of Nyanda-4).

State Gas is also the 100% holder Authority to Prospect 2062 ("Rolleston-West"), a 1,414 km2 permit (eight times larger than PL 231) that is contiguous with the Reid's Dome Gas Project. Rolleston-West contains highly prospective targets for both coal seam gas (CSG) and known conventional gas within the permit area. It is not restricted by domestic gas reservation requirements.

The contiguous areas (Reid's Dome and Rolleston-West), under sole ownership by State Gas, enable integration of activities and a unified super-gasfield development, providing economies of scale, efficient operations, and optionality in marketing.

State Gas is implementing its strategic plan to bring gas to market from Reid's Dome and Rolleston-West to meet near term forecast shortfalls in the east coast domestic gas market. The strategy involves progressing a phased appraisal program in parallel with permitting for an export pipeline and development facilities to facilitate the fastest possible delivery of gas to market. State Gas' current focus has been to confirm the producibility of the gas through production testing of the wells.NEVADA COUNTY, Calif. - New evidence has been found in the murder of a Nevada County Vietnam veteran.

A team from the Human Identification Laboratory at Chico State joined deputies in identifying the new clues.

Deputies say 70 year old Stanley Norman's life ended in a violent attack in the backyard of a Nevada City home. On Friday investigators served a search warrant at the property. They found human teeth, bone fragments, and rings.

Investigators warned that there are a lot of details that are going to come out that don't paint a pretty picture of how Stan Norman's life ended. They said that the puzzle pieces are falling into place due to the amazing team of professionals that are working to figure out what exactly happen to the veteran.

Two men are now under arrest in the murder and torture case. Police arrested Sean Bryant over Memorial Day weekend. Investigators arrested a second suspect, Michael Mccauley, a week ago.

Both will be formally charged this weekPraises companies taking positive action and removes laggards from the Future World Funds LGIM introduced the Climate Impact Pledge in November 2016, focused on accelerating the progress companies are making in addressing climate change and transitioning to a low-carbon economy. LGIM has initially focused on engaging with 84 of the worlds largest companies across different sectors and geographies identified as pivotal in meeting the 2C target set in the Paris Agreement. These companies have since been assessed, scored and ranked against more than 50 indicators, including whether they have a corporate statement that formally recognises the impact of climate change, whether they are fully transparent on their carbon contribution and whether the board composition is diverse and robust enough to drive innovation and change. Driving results through engagement LGIMs first engagement period ran from April 2017 to April 2018. Almost three quarters (74%) of the 84 companies responded to letters from LGIM, resulting in meetings with 61% of the companies. We believe these conversations contributed to a number of positive moves by firms, including Toyota, Wells Fargo and Australias Commonwealth Bank. Since LGIM began the engagement process in April 2017, climate scores for US companies have improved, with median Japanese, Australian and South Korean companies also improving. In contrast, median French, UK and German companies have not. The rankings have also revealed contrasting approaches by sector, with utility companies both some of the best and worst performers. Oil and gas companies, utilities and auto-manufacturers saw overall improvements in their scores over the engagement period. Leading the charge LGIMs assessment also revealed those companies that are making significant progress and leading initiatives to address climate risk. These include: A leader in public policy: Spanish utility Iberdrola, one of the largest electricity companies in the world, has called for ambitious EU emissions reductions and has lobbied for the EU to raise its carbon price (a reform that is now underway). A leader in business strategy: Oil and gas major Total has stated that it will put a climate-compliant 2C scenario at the centre of its strategy. Having already made significant investments in clean energy and battery manufacturers, the company will increase its focus on renewables and natural gas. A leader in transparency: The biggest listed bank in France, BNP Paribas, discloses the carbon content of the power plants it finances. It also plans to reduce this in line with the global averages needed to reach the 2C objective. The company has also recently announced that it will no longer finance the development of extreme fossil fuels (coal, tar sands). A leader in its statement on climate change: The multinational food and drink company Nestle has set targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 2020, in line with the Paris Agreement. The company discloses these 2020 targets and how it is performing against them. Taking action against laggards As part of the pledge, LGIM committed to vote against companies that have shown persistent inaction to address climate risk and divest its Future World range from these companies. As at the start of June, the Future World funds did not hold the following companies: China Construction Bank

Rosneft Oil

Japan Post Holdings

Occidental Petroleum

Dominion Energy

Subaru

Loblaw

Sysco Corporation LGIM will also vote against the re-election of the chair at these companies across LGIMs complete range of equity funds.

Meryam Omi, Head of Sustainability and Responsible Investment Strategy at LGIM said: Climate change is a significant issue for society and investors... Our role is to ensure companies in different industries transition successfully, and are committed to helping them do that with our Climate Impact Pledge.







Most of us humans are pretty sure about the question of human origins. We largely divide ourselves into two groups. One group affirms that according to "science", we, as a species "evolved" from some "money-like" state into who we're today. The other camp embracing organized Western religions counters by declaring that a supernatural 'God' created humans in "His" own image.



However, certain elders of indigenous tribal societies reject such claims as deceptions and that's apparently why indigenous societies have been the target of a concerted effort to destroy their cultures and to assimilate them through Western organized religions and so-called "secular modern societies".



Indeed, Gerry Zeitlin's critical research suggests that the narrative of human origins presented by the scientific Establishment and the clergy of Western organized religions are the orchestrations of a manipulative alien Artificial Intelligence.



The same people who believe that there's a cover-up on UFOs and an "alien agenda" have failed to consider that there might also be a corresponding cover-up on human origins by the same "scientists" and religious clergy who would ridicule eyewitness reports of alien sightings.



If we, as humans actually knew of, and then connected, with our own spiritual-biological potential, we would be unlocking a far better future for ourselves than anything offered by "artificial intelligence", and that's apparently the basis for keeping humanity ignorant of our true origins through the oppression and destruction of vital knowledge from indigenous societies.



According to such an alternative indigenous perspective, humans neither "evolved" from a monkey-like state nor were they created by the supernatural God presented in Christianity, Judaism or Islam. Rather aliens possessing a synthetic Artificial Intelligence (AI) in a war with humans on Earth subjected our much more advanced human ancestors to a mass mental black out designed to enable these aliens to re-write human history. The idea that humans were subjected to a "de-evolution" has been documented by Michael Cremo [please see above video].



According to David Icke, this mass black block and subsequent repression of human abilities is being enabled by Earth's Moon which is actually a manipulative alien vessel designed to support a "false reality matrix" concocted by these aliens.



Before the regressive aliens, African Zulu Elder Credo Mutwa documents that humans were telepaths not requiring speech. So advanced were humans as telepaths that no only could we as humans easily communicate with each other without speech but humans could also communicate even with animals! The life expectancy of humans had been hundreds of years.



Humans also had lived in complete harmony with their environment in societies which embrace love, peace and empathy. Human civilization was without war, fear, poverty, corruption, oppression and other attributes that have been brought into human civilization by lower dimensional demonic alien manipulations.



It has also been suggested that humans may have been able to teleport themselves through time-space because as humans we were not confined to the linear time line as we have today.



It is after we truly come to grips with our actual origins as a species will we be truly empowered to critically come to grips with the prevailing deceptions around aliens which are seeking to assimilate Earth into a demonic AI agenda.



When we can come to grips with the critical origins of humanity we will then be able to start a critical exploration of "who are we as humans, and what is the direction that we should go".



We may then be able to start to answer such questions as "what is the nature of reality" and what are we really doing in this solar system and universe.



Artificial intelligence through apparent alien operatives have sought to promote a utopian society governed by AI when in fact these same aliens come from anything but utopian societies. The "world of AI" warns the ancient Pagan Gnostics is that of ego-driven and self-serving demons in a never ending climate of strife with each other under a regime of brutal domination.





As a species, we cannot afford to be lured into the propaganda promoted by the elites which consort with these AI that their future for Earth is a promise of a "comfortable lifestyle". It is apparent that the AI agenda is to try to continue to fatten us with the cellular devices, driverless-vehicles and other AI devices until they obtain the Nazi control which they seek.



All-cargo carrier Cargolux is moving a prototype solar-powered boat from Luxembourg to Calgary ahead of an Arctic expedition on behalf of non-profit environmental awareness organisation DreamTime.

French navigator Anne Quemere will undertake a solo journey in the boat, aiming to make the 3,500 km trip from Tuktoyaktuk in northwestern Canada, through the Northwest Passage, to Pond Inlet on Baffin Island.

Noting that the solar-powered transportation venture is in line with Cargoluxs focus on sustainability, the airlines head of corporate communications Moa Sigurdardottir said: Cargolux is proud of supporting the Solar Arctic project, which, like the Solar Impulse project, is an effort to explore new and innovative paths in the transportation industry.

Cargolux has been involved in the Solar Impulse aircraft project on two occasions. It first transported the solar-powered plane from Payerne in Switzerland to the NASA Ames Research Centre at Moffett Airfield for its Across America Tour in 2013.

Then, in 2015, the airline moved Solar Impulse from Switzerland to Abu Dhabi for its World Tour.

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Logistics firm Kuehne + Nagel is to join Budapest Airports cargo community on 1 July, having leased warehouse and office space at the Hungarian gateway.

Rene Droese, director property and cargo at the airport, said: I look at forwarder companies as our closest strategic partners in developing our cargo route network. Jointly, we can bring the right cargo airlines with the right capacity and flight frequency to Budapest.

The new North American services that will soon provide belly capacity between Budapest and New York, Chicago, Philadelphia and Toronto, for instance, illustrate the citys growing connectivity.

Laszlo Szabo, national air freight manager for Kuehne + Nagel Hungary, referred to these flights as one of the factors in the forwarders decision to partner with Budapest Airport, saying: We believe that keeping our fingers on the pulse of our customers business helps us to react rapidly and meet all of their expectations.

This summer will see the start of construction of a new dedicated freight centre, Cargo City, as part of Budapest Airports 160m BUD: 2020 Development Programme. The facility is scheduled for handover in the second quarter of 2019, and will expand the hubs cargo handling capacity to 250,000 tonnes per year.

Cargo City will handle freighters operated by carriers including Cargolux, Turkish Cargo, and Qatar Airways Cargo, as well as belly cargo from other airlines.

Budapest Airport also opened two major integrator facilities last summer.

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Brazilian slab export prices were unchanged last week, as buyers were hesitant about placing bids after recent developments related to the United States' Section 232 investigation.

Metal Bulletin's weekly price assessment for slab exports from Brazil was $580-590 per tonne fob on Friday June 8, stable from the previous week.



The market was momentarily halted due to measures taken in the US related to its investigation into national security issues and steel imports.



The US imposed a blanket tariff of 25% on steel imports from the European Union, Mexico and Canada on June 1. As a result, US slab importers remained on the sidelines to see how the market reacts to the measure.



"The market is at a [standstill] again," a source said.



The US has granted a quota for Brazilian steel shipments equivalent to 3.5 million tonnes per year of semi-finished material, meaning Brazil avoids the 25% import tariff.



And that quota is now widely considered as positive by market participants, as shipments in the first five months of the year have been lower than expected.



European clients have also been looking at Brazilian slab, but buyers are not willing to pay more than $530 per tonne fob for the material, sources told Metal Bulletin.



"Brazilian prices are not competitive in Europe," one source said.



Brazilian producers also had to deal with a national strike by truck drivers from May 18 to May 31.



Local slab producers were affected by the protests, which caused shortages of raw materials and led to production cuts.



And last week, the Brazilian government decided to amended the tax credits available in the "Reintegra" program, which grants credits to industrial companies that are equivalent to a percentage of their exports, reducing the rate to 0.1% from 2%.



"The [adjustment to] the Reintegra program will make exports more difficult," a trader said.





Posted on: June 11, 2018 10:20 AM

Sunday school teachers and Christian educators from the Diocese of Karnataka North in the united Church of South India have received training to develop child-friendly churches. They gathered at the CSI Synod Centre in Chennai for three days of training, sponsored by Evangelical Mission in Solidarity, a German-based mission agency. The training was organised as part of a challenge to reach out to children with a commitment to establish Gods reign in this present world.

The training covered a range of areas, including teaching methods, given by the Principal of CSO College of Commerce, Dr Kamala Dhawale; reading and interpreting the Bible from childrens perspectives , given by the Assistant Professor of Theology at the United Theological College in Bangalore, Dr Rohan Gideon; and contemporary challenges such as the culture of materialism and the culture of hatred, given by Solomon Paul, the Director of CSIs Youth Concerns department

It also covered the importance of understanding childrens emotional and psychological needs, and basic principles of counselling and how to apply them appropriately in Sunday school education.

The provincial General Secretary, Dr D R Sadananda, finished the three-days with a session highlighting the tremendous scope of instilling Christian values in children for the growth of the church in the Indian scenario, the CSI said.Posted on: June 11, 2018 7:10 AM

Thousands of people from across Rwanda  including the Prime Minister  and scores of guests from overseas packed into a stadium in the capital, Kigali, for the enthronement of the new Primate of the Anglican Church of Rwanda, Archbishop Laurent Mbanda.

In his charge, the Archbishop thanked his House of Bishops for doing him the honour of electing him to be their leader. He pledged to work hard for the Province and to maintain the team spirit and unity among the bishops. A former vice president of Compassion International, he said his experience would help him to build the Church. He also spoke of the Church being a blessing to the Anglican Communion.

Among the guests were the Primates of Uganda, Archbishop Stanley Ntagali; Burundi, Archbishop Martin Nyaboho; South Sudan, Archbishop Justin Badi, and Southern Africa, Archbishop Thabo Makgoba. Bishop Paul Butler of Durham, England, brought greetings from the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, who was unable to attend. Greetings were also read on behalf of the Secretary General of the Anglican Communion, Dr Josiah Idowu-Fearon, who was also not able to be there. The guests included a sizeable contingent from the United States, including Archbishop Foley Beach of the independent Anglican Church of North America.

Archbishop Laurent paid tribute to the outgoing Primate of Rwanda, Archbishop Onesphore Rwaje, who he described as a peaceful man who had guided the Church with wisdom. The two men embraced warmly after the handover of office. He also spoke of the support he received from his family.

It was a ceremony of colour, joy, music and a little spontaneity: at one point  before he was officially enthroned  Archbishop Laurent left the platform to join a group of young people dancing enthusiastically with one of the choirs. Later, he and his family and several choristers gathered on the platform to sing to the crowds.

There were moments of humour, too: at the start of the ceremony Archbishop Laurent was blocked from coming onto the platform while he was questioned. In a sign of his zest for his new office, he urged the questioners to hurry up because he was eager to get on and serve God.

The Archbishop set out his vision for the Church under his leadership, speaking of five pillars. He stressed his commitment to equipping leaders, developing a strong theological college and said he wanted to establish a Christian university to develop leadership at all levels. He spoke of the importance of discipleship and evangelism and the need for an early childhood programme across Rwanda. He pledged to work for greater financial management and transparency and towards greater sustainability so that the Church could be more self-supporting.

Archbishop Laurent said he was grateful for the freedom of worship in Rwanda and pledged his commitment to perpetuating peace, supporting human rights and to environmental protection.

Speaking later to the Anglican Communion News Service, he said it had been a humbling and exciting day. I am grateful to the Lord for what has happened and I am also grateful to my bishops, he said. I believe that God has a plan for our lives.

Rwandas Prime Minister, Edouard Ngirente  who was representing President Paul Kagame  said it was a day of jubilation and a time to reflect on the contribution of the churches in Rwanda. He said the government was grateful for the social activities of the Church in areas such as health and primary and secondary education. He promised that the government would partner with the Church and noted how the five pillars of the Archbishop were in keeping with the governments own strategy for the country.

In his message the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby assured the new Primate of his prayers in the years ahead. I am confident that you will be able to guide the Church in Rwanda in its ministry across the country, in building discipleship, transforming communities and tackling poverty, he said. I pray that the Church in Rwanda will continue to go from strength to strength under your leadership and that the challenges that the Provinces faces will be overcome.Music matters  setting the right environment for trading

Every year, there are more and more of us getting into Forex trading. No longer is it seen as beyond the reach of the hobby investor, the home worker or the student who wants to earn a little money on the side. Today, we have trading apps that are free to download, supported by trading tutorials that show us how to use them.

Is it really that easy? Of course its not, if it was, everyone would be doing it and driving Ferraris, and unfortunately, life just doesnt work that way. The point is, there are lots of ways to make money trading, but in the currency market more than others, there is a real sense of yin and yang. When you make money trading, for example, GBP/USD, that means someone somewhere has lost money trading USD/GBP.

More than just the finance

The natural conclusion is that you need to make sure you are on the right side of the trade. Thats true enough, and it demands expertise. When anyone poses the question How can I become a successful Forex trader? The immediate answer they are likely to get is to put in long hours learning their trade, analysing the markets and understanding the various financial indicators and Forex tools they will need to use.

Thats certainly good advice, and you will not get far as a trader without doing so, but there is more to it than that. The currency markets are subject to such subtle changes, and can be influenced by so many variables, that sometimes you need what can only be defined as intuition in order to make the right calls at the right times.

You can have all the knowledge and training in the world, but if your mind is not in the right place, and you are not fully focussed on what you are doing, your profits will ultimately suffer, of that there is no doubt. So how can you channel your inner trader and optimise your performance? For a start, you need to be working in the right environment.

Music and mindset

If you are sitting on the sofa with a half eaten pizza at your side and Bloomberg running all day long on the tube, you probably feel as if you are cutting the right dash as a serious trader. You couldnt be more wrong. For a start, the guys and girls on the screen will predominantly be saying the same old things over and over, and for another, you need to be focussed on what you are doing, not what some journalists and commentators are saying.

By all means get your fix first thing in the morning as you drink your coffee, and maybe again later in the day over that pizza, but otherwise, switch the TV off and get some music playing.

Now this is dangerous territory, as musical taste is a very personal thing, and what works well to focus one person can be the worlds biggest distraction and irritant to another. So with that caveat in mind, lets find out what the researchers think.

Scientists over at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in New York spent months assessing the effects of music on our concentration, mental function, perception and satisfaction while working. Sadly, there is no detailed explanation of the research itself, but one can only assume that it subjected test groups to everything from Mozart to Motorhead and asked them to concentrate on complex tasks, which must have been a wonderful spectacle to witness.

They concluded that sounds of nature, such as chirping birds or running water proved to be the most beneficial according to all the test parameters, provided that the sounds were not looped or repetitive.

They also found that as a general trend, instrumental music was more conducive to focus and productivity than words. Intuitively this makes sense, as when we are hearing words, we will listen to and mentally process them. This confirmed previous findings by another team of researchers at an engineering college in Bangalore, who went so far as to conclude that music played at a tempo of 60 BPM was most conducive to relaxation, stress reduction and mental clarity.

Other considerations

Music is important, but is not the only environmental factor to consider. As a trader, you might think that all you need is your smartphone, so you can conduct your trading from anywhere, but this is never going to deliver the best results. The phone app is great for keeping an eye on things on the go, but when you need to seriously focus, a large screen and a traditional keyboard are the tools of choice.

Also, ensure you are in an environment that benefits from as much natural light as possible, and invest some money in a proper chair and desk. With these in place, you will have the optimum operating environment to be fully attuned to what you are doing and make the most of your innermost skills, as well as exercising the expertise you have picked up through those hours of study.

Yeoman Lowbrow

Posted: 10th, June 2018 | In: Online-PR Comment | TrackBack | PermalinkABC News(WASHINGTON) -- Attorney General Jeff Sessions is making an aggressive new move to crack down on illegal immigration, announcing Monday that the Trump administration will no longer accept asylum claims based on fear of domestic violence, gang violence or other personal crime.



Our nations immigration laws provide for asylum to be granted to individuals who have been persecuted, or who have a well-founded fear of persecution, on account of their membership in a particular social group, but most victims of personal crimes do not fit this definition  no matter how vile and reprehensible the crime perpetrated against them," a Justice Department statement said.



Pushback from immigration groups was swift.



The Attorney Generals decision  if permitted to standwill no doubt result in sending countless mothers and children back to their abusers and criminal gangs. Turning our backs on victims of violence and deporting them to grave danger should not be the legacy sought by any administration," Beth Werlin, Executive Director of the American Immigration Council, said in a release.



Earlier in the day at an event outside Washington, Sessions took aim at the asylum-seeking process in the United States.



"The asylum system is being abused to the detriment of the rule of law, sound public policy, and public safety  and to the detriment of people with just claims," he said. "Saying a few simple wordsclaiming a fear of return  is now transforming a straightforward arrest for illegal entry and immediate return into a prolonged legal process, where an alien may be released from custody into the United States and possibly never show up for an immigration hearing," Sessions continued.



When a person comes to the United States seeking asylum, they must declare to the customs officer that they have a "credible fear of persecution" in his or her home country.



Both the 1951 United States Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees and U.S. law say that the United States must recognize refugees with that fear of persecution and who aren't able to seek help from their home country.



But on Monday, Sessions portrayed asylum seekers as making claims as a means to an end.



"Asylum was never meant to alleviate all problems  even all serious problems  that people face every day all over the world," he said.



Sessions said that majority of asylum claims "are not valid."



He lamented that the numbers have ballooned for people who claim asylum and are being placed in immigration courts.



The U.S. investigates and determines if people who claim asylum has "credible fear" and then if it is determined they do, according to U.S. Citizen and Immigration Services, they are brought in front of an immigration judge for a hearing on whether they'll be granted asylum.



The number of credible fear screenings has risen more than a thousand percent between 2008-2016.



USCIS says screenings have gone from 5,100 in 2008 to close to 92,000 screenings in 2016.



The Department of Justice has sent more than 15 immigration judges and over 30 prosecutors to the southern border to process asylum and other immigration cases.



"We have a firm goal, and that is to end the lawlessness that now exists in our immigration system," Sessions said.



Sessions also touched on the "zero tolerance" policy DOJ has put in place.



"I have put in place a zero tolerance policy for illegal entry on our Southwest border. If you cross the Southwest border unlawfully, then we will prosecute you. Its that simple," Sessions said in front of Immigration Judges at the Executive Office for Immigration Review Annual Training Conference.



This is not the first time the Attorney General has spoken about "zero tolerance" on the border. The Department has touted the policy since early April, and Sessions spoke about it in early May.



He also defended the policy on conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt's show.



The zero tolerance policy the Department of Justice has enacted has also led to the separation of children and parents.



"We believe every person that enters the country illegally like that should be prosecuted. And you cant be giving immunity to people who bring children with them recklessly and improperly and illegally," Sessions told interviewer Hugh Hewitt on June 5th.



The goal, the attorney general said, is to have no illegal border crossings.

Copyright  2018, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.



(ANSA) - Rome, June 11 - The Aquarius, a migrant-rescue ship carrying 629 migrants which has been barred from Italian ports in a 30-hour stand-off with Malta, will be allowed to dock in the Spanish port of Valencia, Spanish Premier Pedro Sanchez said Monday.

Interior Minister Matteo Salvini said Monday that his approach to the Aquarius case had been vindicated.

"Evidently raising your voice, something Italy did not do for years, pays," Salvini said.

On Sunday Salvini said the Aquarius, which is run by the SOS Mediterranee NGO and has 123 unaccompanied minors and seven pregnant women aboard, should head to Malta instead of Italy.

The Maltese authorities said the case was not its responsibility.

"I'd asked for a gesture of solidarity by the EU about this emergency," said Italian Premier Giuseppe Conte.

"I cannot fail to thank the Spanish authorities for taking up the invitation.

"This decision goes in the direction of solidarity".

Earlier Salvini said that Italy was set to deny permission to another migrant-rescue ship to dock at an Italian port after refusing to okay the arrival of the Aquarius. "Today the Sea Watch 3 ship of a German NGO flying a Dutch flag is off the Libyan coast waiting to take on the umpteenth load of immigrants to bring to Italy again," Salvini, who is also deputy premier and leader of the League party, said via Twitter. "Italy has stopped bowing its head and obeying, this time THERE IS SOMEONE WHO SAYS NO. #chiudiamoiporti (#weareclosingtheports)".(ANSA) - Naples, June 11 - The men who kidnapped three Italians in Mexico on January 31 have been identified, a lawyer for the three Neapolitans' families, Claudio Falletti, said Monday. He said "clear and transparent facts have emerged" from police files. Falletti said "the case has been perfectly reconstructed and the truth is within reach".

Falletti recently said the three street vendors were alive. "For the Mexican authorities our co-nationals are alive and the investigative activity is moving in this direction," he said.

Then Foreign Minister Angelino Alfano called for "urgent" action to find the trio.

It has been reported by their family that the three were sold by police to a gang in the State of Jalisco for 43 euros.

The relatives of Raffaele Russo, his son Antonio, and nephew Vincenzo Commino have repeatedly appealed to the government to intervene.

The Italian foreign ministry, which has confirmed that four Mexican police have been arrested, said recently it had reiterated to "our Mexican counterparts the importance which the government attributes to the affair and the urgency of providing news and certain elements to the families as soon as possible".

The three street vendors went missing in the high-crime city of Tecaltitlan, in the State of Jalisco.

(ANSA) - Rome, June 11 - Spain on Monday said it would take in a German NGO ship with 629 migrants on board after Italy's new populist government blocked it from Italian ports on Sunday.

The Aquarius will be allowed to dock in the Spanish port of Valencia, Spanish Premier Pedro Sanchez said Monday, spurring Interior Minister Matteo Salvini to say "raising your voice pays".

The decision ended a stand-off between Italy and Malta after Salvini, leader of the anti-migrant League party, said the ship run by SOS Mediterranee could not dock in Italy and said Valletta should take it.

Malta refused, saying the migrants were picked up off Libya in an area that is Italy's competence.

After Sanchez's statement, Salvini said: "Evidently raising your voice, something Italy did not do for years, pays".

He said: "Victory. 629 migrants on board the ship Aquarius heading for Spain. First objective achieved.

"We have opened a front in Brussels, with (Foreign) Minister (Enrico) Moavero (Milanesi) we are contacting the European Commission so that it can fulfill its duties towards Italy that have never been respected.

"It doesn't make much difference if the ship is called Aquarius or Sea Watch 3: we want to put an end to this traffic of human beings. "And so as we did for Aquarius we will raise the problem for the other ships", Salvini said, indicating that all migrant ships would be denied permission to dock in Italy.

Salvini said Monday the government had been "compact" and denied there had been "splits" with government partner the anti-establishment 5-Star Movement (M5S) over the Aquarius.

Italian Premier Giuseppe Conte thanked Spain. "I'd asked for a gesture of solidarity by the EU about this emergency," Conte said during a visit to the earthquake-hit village of Accumoli.

"I cannot fail to thank the Spanish authorities for taking up the invitation.

"This decision goes in the direction of solidarity".

European Migration Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos hailed Premier Sanchez's decision.

"We welcome the Spanish government's decision to let the ship Aquarius land in Valencia for humanitarian reasons," he said. "This is true solidarity put into practice, both towards these desperate and vulnerable people and towards partner member States".

French far-right leader Marine Le Pen hailed Salvini's stance.

Saying "he is right", she said "only a policy of firmness will enable us to put an end to the mass arrivals of illegals and stop those who organise this hateful traffic in human beings".

Spain's offer came amid fears conditions could deteriorate among the migrants on board the ship.

Doctors Without Borders (MSF), which has doctors on the ship, said vulnerable people were at risk. MSF said the situation on board was "stable" but the "useless delays" in offloading the migrants "are putting at risk vulnerable people" and in particular seven pregnant women and 15 burns victims, as well as several migrants with symptoms of hypothermia.

UNHCR, the UN agency for refugees and migrants, called on Italy and Malta to allow the immediate landing of the migrants, who were picked up by several ships including Italian navy vessel and transferred to the Aquarius on Saturday.

"There is an urgent humanitarian imperative here," said Vincent Cochetel, UNHCR's Special Envoy for the Central Mediterranean. "People are in distress, are running out of provisions and need help quickly. Broader issues such as who has responsibility and how these responsibilities can best be shared between States should be looked at later." "Fundamentally, the principle of rescue at sea must not be put into doubt through incidents like this. "Other governments must act to support countries dealing with sea arrivals. "This could include a predictable mechanism across the region for disembarkation, based on good cooperation amongst states and other relevant actors," Cochetel added.

Salvini's action came under fire from many Italian political parties and from the Vatican.

Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi, the president of the Pontifical Council for Culture, quoted the gospel of Matthew. "I was a stranger and you did not invite me in (Matthew 25 43) #Aquarius," Ravasi said via Twitter on Monday.

But the other government partner, the anti-establishment 5-Star Movement (M5S), defended Salvini's decision.

M5S bigwig and Infrastructure Minister Danilo Toninelli said that Italy's stance was "not inhumane". He told Sky Tg 24 that the stance was "good sense and has at the centre the asylum seekers". "Redistribution must be guaranteed. It is an obligation of the European partners," he added.

"We call on all of Europe to take responsibility on an issue that is as delicate and important as migrant flows. "It is necessary for everyone to understand that international law cannot entail Italy being abandoned.

"We'll always save human lives, but Malta is the warning light of a Europe that must change".

Toninelli, an M5S Senator, said that the government had sent doctors to the Aquarius and said that "conditions aboard are good". Salvini himself was undeterred and said he would block another migrant ship. The interior minister and deputy premier, who has vowed to deport half a million migrants, said: "Today the Sea Watch 3 ship of a German NGO flying a Dutch flag is off the Libyan coast waiting to take on the umpteenth load of immigrants to bring to Italy again". "Italy has stopped bowing its head and obeying, this time THERE IS SOMEONE WHO SAYS NO. #chiudiamoiporti (#weareclosingtheports)". On Monday the Aquarius, which also has 123 unaccompanied minors on board, was stationary at sea, 27 nautical miles from Malta and 35 from Italy, awaiting instructions. "Early morning prayers onboard #Aquarius. All 629 people rescued in #Mediterranean are unaware of ongoing diplomatic standoff," said MSF.

"#MSF urgently requests a swift resolution and a designated port of safety".

(ANSA) - Rome, June 11 - Italy's 149,154 bars have an overall turnover of approximately 18 billion euros a year, according to the latest figures presented by the Italian federation of bars and catering (FIPE) on Monday. Hot drinks account for 36% of revenue, with a coffee costing 1 euro on average and a cappuccino 1.30 euros. The northern region of Lombardy has the biggest share of bars, at 16.9%, followed by Lazio (10.4%), Campania (9.6%), Veneto (8.4%) and Piedmont (7.2%). Some 5.4 million Italians have breakfast at a bar, spending on average 2.40 euros.

Instead 1.3 million eat lunch there, spending on average 7.50 euros. Alcoholic drinks and aperitifs account for 13.3% of revenue, brioches for 12.6%, snacks and ice creams for 10.8%, soft drinks for 10.4%, mineral water for 8.8% and sandwiches or dishes for 7.5%. Last year the sector employed 9,900 bar staff, of whom 58% were women and 21% were foreign. In 2017 6,335 new bars opened and 11,979 closed, resulting in a negative balance of 5.644.

(see related) (ANSA) - Rome, June 11 - Infrastructure Minister Danilo Toninelli said Monday that Italy's stance was "not inhuman" after the government refused to let the Aquarius, a migrant-rescue ship carrying over 600 people, dock in Italian ports. He told Sky Tg 24 that the stance was "good sense and has at the centre the asylum seekers". "Redistribution must be guaranteed. It is an obligation of the European partners," he added.

"We call on all of Europe to take responsibility on an issue that is as delicate and important as migrant flows. "It is necessary for everyone to understand that international law cannot entail Italy being abandoned.

"We'll always save human lives, but Malta is the warning light of a Europe that must change".

Toninelli, a 5-Star Movement (M5S) Senator, said that the government had sent doctors to the Aquarius migrant-rescue ship and said that "conditions aboard are good".

TEL AVIV - Thousands of people staged a demonstration on Sunday evening in the West Bank city of Ramallah against Palestinian Authority (PA) president Mahmoud Abbas's policies towards the Gaza Strip. The focus was on the PA's economic sanctions against Gaza inhabitants used as an attempt to soften Hamas's positions. Local media reported that the protestors said they were not afraid of PA security forces and claimed that the forces ''cooperate with the CIA''.

A Hamas spokesman in Gaza said that he was pleased with the protest and that it might mark a turning point in relations between the West Bank and Gaza.

ROME - A stand-off continues between Italy and Malta on the case of the Aquarius, which is carrying 629 migrants rescued in the Mediterranean, but which has to place to dock at the moment after it was refused permission by both governments. Some 800 other migrants have meanwhile been rescued off Libya by both Italian and international vessels. Rescue operations were completed over the night. The 629 people rescued by the Aquarius in the Mediterranean ''know nothing about the diplomatic stalemate'', Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said, whose personnel are onboard.

MSF called for an urgent solution and the assigning of a safe port for the ship to land in.

After a summit on Sunday, Italian prime minister Giuseppe Conte said that his Maltese counterpart Joseph Muscat, who he contacted in the evening, ''has not assured any intervention, even of a humanitarian nature''. It is the latest case of unwillingness by Malta, and thus Europe, Conte said, to ''intervene and take responsibility for the emergency''. He added that ''Italy has to deal with the migration emergency completely alone. The Dublin Regulation needs to be radically changed''. Muscat tweeted that ''we are concerned at #Italy authorities' directions given to #Acquarius on high seas. They manifestly go against international rules, and risk creating a dangerous situation for all those involved''. Meanwhile, ''two motorboats with medical personnel onboard have been sent to ensure medical care for all those on the Aquarius who might need it'', Conte added. Malta ''cannot continue to turn aside when it is a case of complying with specific international conventions as concerns safeguarding human life and cooperation among states'', reads a joint statement issued on Sunday evening by Italian interior minister Matteo Salvini and Infrastructure and Transport Minister Danilo Toninelli (M5S), which the Coast Guard is under.

A Maltese government spokesperson replied saying that ''our government is neither the authority coordinating it nor does it have jurisdiction over the case'' of the Aquarius. ''The rescue was coordinated from Rome,'' they added. The statement by the Italian ministers said that ''we will continue to save human lives and the others will continue to be wrong''. In any case, the ship continues to be in limbo without a direction to move in yet, while MSF staff onboard are assisting the 629 migrants rescued in six operations, including a complex one in which a dinghy overturned and dropped the 40 people it was carrying into the sea. There are 123 unaccompanied minors, 11 children and 7 pregnant women onboard.

Ramallah protest to support Gaza Polemical slogans against PA sanctions

(ANSAmed) - TEL AVIV, JUNE 11 - Thousands of people staged a demonstration on Sunday evening in the West Bank city of Ramallah against Palestinian Authority (PA) president Mahmoud Abbas's policies towards the Gaza Strip. The focus was on the PA's economic sanctions against Gaza inhabitants used as an attempt to soften Hamas's positions. Local media reported that the protestors said they were not afraid of PA security forces and claimed that the forces ''cooperate with the CIA''.



A Hamas spokesman in Gaza said that he was pleased with the protest and that it might mark a turning point in relations between the West Bank and Gaza. (ANSAmed).



BELGRADE - More roads were blocked briefly on Monday in Serbia by car drivers to protest an increase in fuel prices. Traffic was blocked in Belgrade along a popular bridge on the Sava River and in the north in Novi Sad, the country's second-largest city, near a market. The unscheduled protests began being held and spreading on Friday. Several government representatives have spoken out harshly against the protests. Over the weekend Interior Minister Nebojsa Stefanovic took a hardline position and on Monday Infrastructure Minister Zorana Zorana Mihajlovic said that the roadblocks were violating citizens' rights and endangering civil coexistence, while defense Minister Aleksandar Vulin called them acts of ''political terrorism'' of a minority against the majority. Vulin said that he believes they were organized by the opposition. Over the weekend President Aleksandar Vucic lashed out against the protests, saying that the political opposition was to blame. Diesel fuel prices in Serbia are among the highest in the region.UNHCR urges Italy and Malta to let migrant ship land 'Humanitarian imperative'

(ANSAmed) - ROME, JUNE 11 - UNHCR, the UN agency for migrants, has called on Italy and Malta to allow the immediate landing of hundreds of people blocked in the Mediterranean since Saturday onboard the Aquarius ship.



"There is an urgent humanitarian imperative here," said Vincent Cochetel, UNHCR's Special Envoy for the Central Mediterranean. "People are in distress, are running out of provisions and need help quickly. Broader issues such as who has responsibility and how these responsibilities can best be shared between States should be looked at later." "Fundamentally, the principle of rescue at sea must not be put into doubt through incidents like this. Other governments must act to support countries dealing with sea arrivals. This could include a predictable mechanism across the region for disembarkation, based on good cooperation amongst states and other relevant actors," Cochetel added.(ANSAmed).



ROME - The Aquarius, a migrant-rescue ship carrying 629 migrants which has been barred from Italian ports in a 30-hour stand-off with Malta, will be allowed to dock in the Spanish port of Valencia, Spanish Premier Pedro Sanchez said Monday. "It is our duty to avoid a humanitarian catastrophe and offer a secure port for these people", a statement by Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez's office says.

The decision by the Spanish government comes after two days of standoff between Italy and Malta on the case of the Aquarius, which is carrying 629 migrants rescued in the Mediterranean, but which has to

place to dock at the moment after it was refused permission by both governments. MSF staff onboard are assisting the 629 migrants rescued in six operations, including a complex one in which a dinghy overturned and dropped the 40 people it was carrying into the sea. There are 123 unaccompanied minors, 11 children and 7 pregnant women onboard.Thank you for reading!

Please log in, or sign up for a new account and purchase a subscription to continue reading.Qatar Airways has announced that its Business Class experience, Qsuite, will be available on flights to and from Canberra, its newest Australian destination, via Sydney, from 1 July 2018.

The announcement comes less than six months after the airline launched its Canberra route in February 2018. The Doha to Canberra flight makes one stop in Sydney, bringing Sydney residents a second daily service to and from the Qatari hub.

The route will be initially be served by Qsuite up to four times a week, with daily Qsuite service to commence on 1 August 2018.

Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, Akbar Al Baker, said: Since its launch, Qsuite has received tremendous attention globally, and we are delighted to introduce this revolutionary product on our Canberra and Sydney routes. With Qsuite, we have truly redefined business and luxury travel, and we are certain that the highly-adaptable and personalised product will be a much-welcome addition for Australian travellers.

Qatar Airways now offers 4,376 seats daily to and from our five Australian gateways, providing Australians with the most technologically-advanced fleet of aircraft in the skies today, and demonstrating the importance of the market to our network. As we continue to grow in Australia, we are glad to also be contributing to the market by providing greater consumer choice with our award-winning cabins and services, and increased accessibility to global markets for businesses with our robust global network of more than 150 destinations.

Patented by Qatar Airways, Qsuite features the industrys first-ever double bed available in Business Class, as well as private cabins for up to four people with privacy panels that stow away, allowing passengers in adjoining seats to create their own private room, a first of its kind in the industry. Adjustable panels and movable TV monitors on the centre four seats allow colleagues, friends or families travelling together to transform their space into a private suite, allowing them to work, dine and socialise together. These new features provide the ultimate customisable travel experience that enables passengers to create an environment that suits their own unique needs.

Qsuite is currently available on select Qatar Airways Boeing 777-300ER, Airbus A350-900 and A350-1000 aircraft. The expansion to Canberra follows the introduction of the product to various destinations around the globe, including London, Paris, New York, Chicago, Houston and Shanghai.Dassault Aviation unveiled the Falcon 6X at Paris-Le Bourget in February. The first flight is due in early 2021 and deliveries will start in 2022. The group shows much optimism, especially in the business aviation sector. Anuradha Deenapanray reports.

Dassault Aviation organised two major events in February and March with the launch of its Falcon 6X and the presentation of its financial report for 2017, which chairman and CEO, Eric Trappier, described as eventful.

Beyond the delivery numbers, forecasts show an improving business aviation market with a reset year. This trend is instilling optimism in the industry.

Dassault Aviation wants to be ready to benefit from the recovery, which will gain momentum by 2019.

There are positive signs, like the recovery of the pre-owned aircraft market, but at low prices, in a very competitive market environment.

Underpinning this optimism is the strengthening of the US economy, the largest business aviation market, and in Europe and emerging markets.

Africa and the Middle East are markets with considerable prospects for the company. Trappier said: We sell a lot of business jets in Africa in all segments. The Falcon 900 has a very good market within the continent. The 7X is suitable to go to Europe and the 8X to the US.

He added that businessmen in the Middle East travel in larger groups, which necessitates bigger aircraft. A new generation of entrepreneur is burgeoning, willing to travel efficiently and rapidly, and to land in less crowded airports.

Last year was marked by the termination process of the Silvercrest contract, which led to the end of the Falcon 5X programme. Trappier explained that the group had to react positively with a smarter programme as Safran Aircraft Engines encountered new problems with the high-pressure compressor. They announced that they were unable to meet the commitment they took in 2016, even though the engine was already four years behind contract schedule.

He said, there was an urgent need to reassure clients after 15 Falcon 5X orders were cancelled in 2016 (12) and in 2017 (3) and given the remaining need of customers for an aircraft of this category.

Dassault Aviation, therefore, launched the Falcon 6X, featuring the same cross-section, with a range of 5,500nm and powered by Pratt & Whitney PW812 engines.

According to Dassault, this versatile twinjet is the best, quietest, most spacious and most comfortable in its segment on the market. It is equipped with the industrys most advanced digital control and cockpit technologies, inherited from recent Falcon models and fighter jet programmes.

The 6X will be the first business jet to use a flaperon, which considerably improves control during approach, especially on steep descents.

We wanted to push the boundaries with this new aircraft, to provide the best flight experience possible using todays aviation know-how, said Trappier. The Falcon 6X will offer a mix of range, comfort and capability that no other large-cabin business jet can match, while guaranteeing fully mature systems and a proven powerplant.

The 6X will be delivered with a full package of equipment, including the FalconSphere 11 electronic flight bag and the revolutionary FalconEye combined vision system for enhanced and synthetic vision capabilities.

Trappier underlined that no more flight-testing is required for the 6X on which the company is betting a lot.

With the new Falcon 6X, our PurePower PW800 engine once again demonstrates its leadership in the long-range business jet category, said Irene Makris, vice-president, marketing, Pratt & Whitney Canada.

She added that the PW812D offers the highest level of technology available, paired with the reliability provided by an award-winning platform.

The turbofan engine incorporates the latest generation technologies.

Dassault has invested around 1 billion ($1.24bn) in the 5X programme. According to CEO Trappier, the new programme will fit in this budget.

He also announced that discussions on compensation are on-going with Safran.

Discussing the military sector, Trappier said: We are going to increase our capacity regarding the Rafale. We are going to deliver two-and-a-half aircraft. There are prospects in the UAE.

He also highlighted the agreement signed with Qatar to exercise the option for 12 additional Rafales and on a future cooperation (option for another 36 Rafale). We have stared with Egypt and Qatar. We have a relationship based on trust, he said.

In 2018, the group will deliver 40 Falcon and 12 Rafale (nine for export and three in France).

This year will also see various strategic challenges and projects for Dassault Aviation.

The new French Military Procurement Law 2019-2025, presented earlier this year, gives a better outlook to the company until 2030.

Combat drones will also be a priority with the nEURON development and a new flight-test campaign, as well as the MALE RPAS reconnaissance drone in cooperation with Airbus Defence & Space and Leonardo to equip four European countries.

While North America remains its priority market, Dassault Aviation is targeting new markets in Asia. As Trappier underlined, the Make in India industrial line is essential and the entire company is mobilised to make it a success.

After India, the group hopes to have an installation in Malaysia. The Malaysian Army appreciates the Rafale for its quality. A technology programme will be presented to the authorities after the elections, said Trappier.

With the mature 8X responding well in the region, Dassault Aviation is determined to capture other emerging markets worldwide with the additional support of the 6X.

6 policemen injured as protest march turns violent.

The police said five people have been arrested for hate posts on social media. (Representational image)

Guwahati: Sixteen people have been arrested in connection with the lynching of two men in Karbi Anglong district of Assam, director general of police Kuladhar Saikia said on Sunday even as a protest march in Guwahati against the incident turned violent, forcing police to use force.

The police said five people have been arrested for hate posts on social media.

A magisterial inquiry has been ordered to probe allegations of police laxity over the lynching on Friday night, following reports that a policeman was seen video recording the incident.

A protest march called by students and civil rights activists in Guwahati against the gruesome lynching incident of Karbi Anglong turned violent on Sunday forcing the police to resort to lathicharge to quell the stone-pelters.

City police commissioner Hiren Nath said that they had allowed peaceful gathering of people who had started gathering since Sunday afternoon without any prior permission of the administration.

We allowed them to organize the peaceful protest as gruesome killing of Karbi Anglong has hurt the people emotionally. Till 6.30 pm it was peaceful, but in between some miscreants joined the gathering and started pelting bottle and other utensils at the police force in which at least six police personnel were injured, said Mr Nath, adding that the police was forced to lathicharge as miscreants tried to provoke the crowd for violence.

He said that even after the prevalence of Section 144 of CrPC prohibiting any gathering in the city area, the administration had allowed protesters to gather to pay tribute to those killed.

Asserting that majority of protesters were peacefully moving towards Commerce College, he said that some miscreants tried to take advantage of the situation to create trouble.

He also claimed that situation was under control as protesters have started returning back to their home .

The police said that few protesters, including a girl was injured in the police lathicharge.

Bogged down by hate messages circulated on social media after the gruesome lynching incident, Assam director general of police Kuladhar Saikia on Sunday said that the police has arrested 16 people in connection with the lynching of two Guwahati-based youth  Nilutpal Das and Abhijit Nath  by a group of villagers on suspicion of being child lifters on Friday night.The Indian military is very familiar with Russian weapons and weapon systems as most Indian weapons are of Russian origin.

New Delhi: After having fought the Pakistanis in the 1965, 1971 and 1999 wars, about 200 Indian soldiers, mainly drawn from the 5 Rajput Regiment, and airmen from the Indian Air Force, will train alongside Pakistani soldiers, besides military personnel of several other countries, including China and Russia, in an exercise to eliminate terrorists and neutralise their networks.

It will mark the first time ever that Indian and Pakistani soldiers will train together. In the past, Indian and Pakistani soldiers have operated only under the United Nations mandate in foreign lands as peacekeepers.

The week-long exercise called Peace Mission 2018 will take place from August 22-29 at Chelya-binsk in west-central Russia under the umbrella of the Shanghai Coop-eration Organisation.

The Indian soldiers, led by a brigadier-rank officer, will fly out in an IL-76 with their weapons, while tanks and other heavy equipment will be provided by the Russians to be used by our soldiers from our mechanised units, a source familiar with preparations told this newspaper.

The Indian military is very familiar with Russian weapons and weapon systems as most Indian weapons are of Russian origin.

The two South Asian neighbours, both nuclear powers, have a bitter and acrimonious relationship that has led to wars and incessant cross-border firing. The India-Pakistan rancour is a possible flashpoint for future wars.

Chelyabinsk, located close to the Ural mountains, will also host the meeting of the Council of Heads of SCO nations and the meeting of Brics leaders in 2020.

Held once in two years, Peaceful Mission 2018 will be the fifth edition of the multilateral exercise but this will be the first time for both India and Pakistan, that became SCO members on June 9, 2017.

Being the host country, Russia is expected to participate in a big way in terms of men, material and sophisticated weapon systems, to be followed closely by China.Kejriwal also warned that if the Modi government failed to do so, the party would conduct a 'BJP, quit Delhi' campaign.

'We will have to fight for development of Delhi, our children's future... I want to ask Modi ji that he had promised full statehood status to Delhiites during the last Lok Sabha election. I want to ask him whether it was 'jumla',' Kejriwal said. (Photo: PTI | File)

New Delhi: In a rhetorical speech in the Delhi assembly, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday announced that the AAP would campaign for the BJP during the 2019 Lok Sabha election if Delhi was granted full statehood.

He also warned that if the Modi government failed to do so, the party would conduct a "BJP, quit Delhi" campaign.

"I want to say to BJP, give full statehood status to Delhi before Lok Sabha polls, every vote of people will go in favour of BJP and we (AAP) will campaign for them in Lok Sabha election," Kejriwal said in the assembly.

"But, if they (BJP) do not give full statehood to Delhi, people here will say that BJP walon, Delhi chodo (BJP, quit Delhi)," he added.

Speaking on the government's resolution that seeks full statehood status for Delhi that was adopted in the assembly, Kejriwal sought to know from Prime Minister Narendra Modi whether his promise to give full statehood to Delhi during the 2014 Lok Sabha election was just a "jumla" (election rhetoric).

"We will have to fight for development of Delhi, our children's future... I want to ask Modi ji that he had promised full statehood status to Delhiites during the last Lok Sabha election. I want to ask him whether it was 'jumla'," he said.

Lok Sabha elections are scheduled to be held in 2019. Ahead of polls, the Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party has decided to strongly raise the issue of full statehood among people in Delhi.

Under its campaign, AAP has given workers a slogan - "LG, quit Delhi"

In the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, BJP had won all seven seats in Delhi.

Kejriwal alleged that the people of Delhi were being "harassed" by the Centre at a scale the British had not done during their rule.

Equating the lieutenant governor with viceroys during the British rules, Kejriwal said that Delhi was being ruled by "Kings" since 1556, adding that in 1947, India got independence, but Delhi is yet to get "freedom" as they (Centre) have appointed LG in place of viceroys, who are ruling the national capital.

"There is no people's rule in Delhi. King LG is running Delhi...I want to ask why we (Delhiites) have not got freedom yet. Our ancestors had also fought for India's freedom..." Kejriwal said in the Delhi Assembly.

Giving a call for "freedom of Delhi", the AAP's national convener said that the time has come for the people of Delhi to "fight for their freedom" and implement the "people's rule" in Delhi, and "throw away LG's rule".

Invoking Bal Gangahar Tilak, Kejriwal said, "Swaraj mera Janam sidh adikar hai (Swaraj is my birthright)...we will implement swaraj in Delhi as LG is only accountable to the prime minister, and not the people of Delhi."

He said that in 1992, the central government had made a system to hold elections in Delhi as the British had done the same in 1935 under which elections used to be held, but "viceroys had power".

"The Centre had made a bad joke with Delhi in 1992. I want to ask why Delhiites are treated as second class citizens. Why are we half citizens? Why the cost of Delhiites' vote is zero?" he said.

Kejriwal said that in Delhi, "BJP's LG" doesn't allow the government to work, adding that "King LG" creates hurdles in the government's work.

Yesterday, eyeing Lok Sabha elections, the AAP has decided to hold meeting at 300 locations across Delhi on the issue of full statehood to Delhi.

Under the plan, the AAP will also hold workers' convention on July 1 where Kejriwal will address party workers on the issue.Reacting to NCP chief's comments, Maharashtra CM Fadnavis said he did not expect Pawar to 'stoop down to this level'.

NCP chief Sharad Pawar also raised doubts about the veracity of the threat letter. (Photo: File | PTI)

Mumbai/Pune: Amid the controversy over an alleged conspiracy to kill Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar on Sunday said that the BJP is trying to generate sympathy by playing a threat letter card.

Speaking at a function marking the 19th anniversary of the NCP as well as the culmination of the party's "hallabol" campaign, Pawar said the people would not fall prey to the BJP's attempts to generate sympathy.

On June 8, the Pune Police claimed to have intercepted the internal communication of Maoists planning a 'Rajiv Gandhi type' assassination of Prime Minister Modi by "targeting his roadshows".

The letter was recovered from the house of Rona Wilson who was among five people arrested from Mumbai, Nagpur and Delhi in connection with 'Elgar Parishad' held in Pune in December and the subsequent Bhima-Koregaon violence in the district.

Also Read: Maoists planning to kill PM Modi in 'Rajiv Gandhi type' incident: Pune cops

Pawar alleged the government was branding some "progressive" people as "naxalites" for organising the event.

"Some progressive people in Pune came together and organised the Elgar Parishad. Now, the government is arresting some of them and branding them naxalites. "Everyone knows who were behind the Bhima Koregaon (violence) but instead of arresting them, those who have no connection, have been arrested and this is called the misuse of power," the former union minister said.

"The BJP has realised that they are losing the popular support. In order to gain sympathy, the BJP is now playing the threat letter card. However, I am sure that the people will not fall prey to such tactics," Pawar added.

The veteran politician, who is trying to project himself as the pivot to unite opposition parties to take on the BJP in 2019 polls, has intensified his attack on the BJP in last few weeks.

Pawar also raised doubts about the veracity of the threat letter. "I have spoken to a senior retired police officer who told me that when such letters come they do not go to media but to the security agencies which make sure that adequate security measures are taken," the former chief minister said.

His comments garnered sharp reaction with Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis saying he did not expect Pawar to "stoop down to this level".

"It is very unfortunate that Sharad Pawar ji is raising doubts about the communication ceased by the police which reveals the plot to assassin Hon PM @narendramodi ji," Fadnavis tweeted.

Hon PM @narendramodi ji is the leader of our nation and not just of a political party. @PawarSpeaks is not expected to stoop down to this level. Police has all the evidences and truth will prevail, he added.

Hon PM @narendramodi ji is the leader of our nation and not just of a political party.@PawarSpeaks is not expected to stoop down to this level.

Police has all the evidences and truth will prevail.  Devendra Fadnavis (@Dev_Fadnavis) June 10, 2018

In a tweet in Marathi, Fadnavis said that "Pawar ji should play politics of the nation and not politics of hatred."

A string of rallies and protests were held under the NCP's 'Hallabol' campaign against the BJP-led Maharashtra government which was launched in Yeotmal in east Maharashtra in December 2017.

NCP stalwart Chhagan Bhujbal, who was released on bail last month in a money laundering case, also attended the event.The 57-year-old man had allegedly helped Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) in procuring explosives used in the blast.

The accused was also involved in Patna's Gandhi Maidan blast. (Photo: ANI | Twitter)

Bandel (West Bengal): A man has been arrested by Special Task Force (STF) of Kolkata Police from West Bengal's Bandel railway station on Monday, in connection with Bihar's Bodh Gaya serial blasts case.

The 57-year-old man had allegedly helped Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) in procuring explosives used in the blast.

Earlier on June 1, a National Investigative Agency (NIA) Special Court awarded life imprisonment to all the five accused in connection with the same.

Umer Siddiqui, Azaharuddin Qureshi, Imtiyaz Ansari, Haider Ali, Mujibullah Ansari and a juvenile, all belonging to the Indian Mujahideen, were accused in the case.

In 2017, a Juvenile Justice Board in Patna had convicted the juvenile and sentenced him to three years in connection with the Patna and Bodh Gaya blast cases. The accused juvenile was involved in the conspiracy of carrying out explosions in both the places.

The accused was also involved in Patna's Gandhi Maidan blast.

On July 7, 2013, the Mahabodhi temple in Bodh Gaya was rocked by at least 10 bomb blasts soon after the morning prayers. A total of 13 bombs were planted, out of which 10 exploded. Three bombs were seized and defused.

Three months later, a series of bomb blasts occurred at the 'Hunkar Rally' venue in Patna's Gandhi Maidan, which was addressed by Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) then prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi.

Six persons were killed and over 89 injured in the serial blasts that took place on October 27.

Both the terror cases were transferred to the NIA for a probe.

The NIA had arrested 11 accused in the Patna case and six in the Bodh Gaya case.The agitation which had literally kept the Madhya Pradesh government on its toes all through the stir period however had a little impact on the state.

Bhopal: The nationwide 10-day stir called by various farmers bodies to highlight farm crisis in the country ended on Sunday.

The agitation which had literally kept the Madhya Pradesh government on its toes all through the stir period however had a little impact on the state.

The state government had made earlier made unprecedented arrangements to foil the stir called in the election year apparently to woo farmers, considered the vote bank of BJP in MP, away from the ruling party.

Besides, the state government had undertaken full proof measures to ensure that the violent incidents witnessed during a similar agitation in the state last year leading to death of six farmers in police firing in Mandsaur did not recur this time.Abdullah has asked the separatists not to talk for the sake of talks unless the Centre comes up with a concrete proposal.

Srinagar: Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister and president of the opposition National Conference (NC), Dr Farooq Abdullah, has cautioned the separatists against entering into a dialogue with the Centre saying it is neither sincere not ready to give them anything.

Dont fall in the trap. They didnt give us autonomy (the resolution for) which was passed by the State Assembly and is within the ambit of the Constitution. What will they offer to you?, he said in an interview to Greater Kashmir newspaper.

The BJP government at the Centre had recently said that it is willing to talk to separatists as well as Pakistan for seeking an amicable solution to the Kashmir imbroglio.

Reiterating it during his recent visit to Srinagar, home minister Rajnath Singh had said that the government is ready to hold talks with all stakeholders and believes that a dialogue needed right-minded people and not necessarily like-minded people to go well.

In their cautious response, an alliance of key separatist leaders had said that it was not in a hurry and that the issue would be discussed threadbare within the separatist echelons before taking a final call on it. Earlier in view of conflicting statements being made by various functionaries of the government, the alliance called Joint Resistance Leadership (JRL) comprising Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Muhammad Yasin Malik had asked the government to clear the ambiguity and speak in one language on what you want to talk about.

Mr Abdullah has asked the separatists not to talk for the sake of talks unless the Centre comes up with a concrete proposal. Dont talk for the sake of talks. I dont think they (BJP) are ready to give you anything. They are not sincere in their intentions, he has been quoted as saying.

Cautioning the separatists against falling in the trap, he has said, They want to drag them to table only to discredit them. The proposed talks, he said, were going to be just for sake of it and to fill in the blanks. He asserted there is pressure on India from the world that Kashmir must be normalised. He has also said that if the government was serious about holding talks it would have defined the contours of dialogue and specified what they want to talk about.

He asked, Have they (the Center) started any process? Has any invitation letter gone to Hurriyat? And on what basis are they going to talk. They are just trying to hoodwink the people of Kashmir and the world community. This (dialogue offer) is driven by compulsion. There is pressure from the world on India that Kashmir must be normalized. The Prime Minister must be facing this question everywhere, Mr. Abdullah has said.

The NC leader has said that the separatist leadership has been demanding that New Delhi should first accept Kashmir as a dispute to pave way for dialogue. Is BJP ready to listen to the demand from separatists? No. So where and how will talks take place, he has asked.

Taking a dig at the governments conflicting statements, he said that one day it says that the Hurriyat Conference is irrelevant but the next day calls it relevant. There is no concerted policy with BJP for Kashmir. They want to make them board the shipthe BJP has its own plans for Kashmir. He has said that he also feels that the separatist leadership is not going to going to enter into a process of dialogue with New Delhi unless Pakistan gives them a go ahead.Example of countries which included those from Gulf were cited during meeting where neither WhatsApp voice nor video calling was allowed.

The use of Internet for making calls has increased the problems for security agencies who have been unable to crack it due to end-to-end encryption by the service provider. (Photo: Representational | File)

New Delhi: The central government will examine if WhatsApp calls can be blocked in insurgency-hit areas such as Jammu and Kashmir after reports that militants are using the feature on the messaging app to stay in touch with their handlers across the border, officials said.

The issue was flagged during a meeting on Monday under the chairmanship of home secretary Rajiv Gauba where the recent arrests in connection the terror attack at Nagrota Army camp in 2016 was highlighted. The arrested militants of Jaish-e-Mohammed told the Jammu and Kashmir Police that they were taking directions from across the border through WhatsApp calls, they said.

Seven Army men were killed in the terror attack.

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) recently took custody of the three people, arrested by the Jammu and Kashmir police for their alleged involvement in helping the terrorists which included ferrying them from the border and guiding them to the Army camp.

The meeting, which was attended by top officials from the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) and those from security agencies as well as Jammu and Kashmir Police, was called to discuss the removal of malicious content from various social networking sites posted by keypad jihadis, who spew venom on the Internet with an intent to create a law and order situation by spreading rumours or giving communal colour to any event.

The use of Internet for making calls has increased the problems for security agencies who have been unable to crack it due to end-to-end encryption by the service provider, they said.

An example of some countries which included those from the Gulf were cited during the meeting where neither WhatsApp voice nor video calling was allowed, they said.

An official statement released said the meeting discussed effective measures to be taken by the law enforcement agencies to tackle the security challenges being posed by terrorists, militants and also individuals propagating child pornography using the social media platforms.

The meeting also discussed steps to enhance coordination among the law enforcement agencies, MeitY and DoT to block and remove malicious content under sections 69 (Power to issue directions for interception or monitoring or decryption of any information through any computer resource) and 79 (limited access to a communication system over which information made available by third parties is transmitted or temporarily stored or hosted) of the IT Act.

It was decided that law enforcement agencies will closely coordinate with MeitY to ensure that the action to block the content on social media platforms is taken in a timely manner.

This will be followed by a meeting with the representatives of social media platforms for compliance, the statement said.

The meeting also discussed implementation of the provisions of the Information Technology Act pertaining to security agencies in dealing with the menace which includes filing of FIRs, removal of the malicious content at the earliest in coordination with the service provider and ensuring speedy legal proceedings so that it could act as a deterrent for others.

The idea behind the crackdown on keypad jihadis was to ensure that the security agencies could concentrate more on nabbing or eliminating terrorists with real guns rather than those who wage war against the state machinery using computers.

The forthcoming two-month long Amarnath Yatra is of immediate concern as they apprehend that anyone, while just sitting from the confines of a home, can plant fake news in one of the thousand chat groups and the entire state can plunge into communal violence, the officials said.

They claimed there have been instances when fake pictures of desecration of shrines are circulated by a particular community and all of sudden there is an outrage when no such incident had taken place.The security forces had been combing the sector since that ambush when they spotted the infiltrators on Sunday.

Army personnel take positions during an encounter with the militants in Keran sector of Kupwara district of north Kashmir. (Photo: PTI)

Srinagar: The Army on Sunday killed six militants and foiled an infiltration bid from across the Line of Control in Keran sector of Jammu and Kashmirs Kupwara district.

This is the fourth clash in the frontier Kupwara district since the Centre announced conditional ceasefire for the Muslim fasting month of Ramzan in the state on May 16.

Giving details of Sundays incident, defence spokesman Colonel Rajesh Kalia said that the militants tried to sneak into Keran sector, 94 kilometres from Srinagar, after breaching the LoC on Sunday morning.

Our jawans noticed suspicious movement along the LoC in Keran sector and challenged the infiltrators. In the ensuing exchange of fire six infiltrators were killed, he said.

Two days ago, a soldier was killed and another was injured in an ambush at Keran. The security forces had been combing the sector since that ambush when they spotted the infiltrators on Sunday.

The authorities said that such situations and engagements with militants do not fall within the ambit of the conditional Ramzan truce as per which only anti-militancy operations have been suspended within the hinterland of J&K to help the peace- loving Muslims observe Ramzan.

In earlier clashes, 11 militants were killed at Shah Nagar Jat Gali (pass) in Handwara, Tanghdar and Machael sectors close to the de facto border on May 18, 26 and June 6, respectively.

Most of these militants were believed to be foreigners, except two of the five killed in Tanghdar whose bodies were exhu-med and handed over to their families from Pulwama and Kulgam.Kashif Jameel (34) was rushed to a private nursing home where his condition was stated to be stable, the police said.

Dr Kafeel Khan said, 'A case has not been registered yet as police are waiting for his health to improve so he can tell what actually happened.' (Photo: Twitter/ANI)

Gorakhpur: The brother of Dr Kafeel Khan, an accused in the Uttar Pradesh's Gorakhpur BRD Medical College case involving the death of 63 children, was shot at allegedly by some unidentified bike-borne miscreants Sunday night.

Kashif Jameel (34) was rushed to a private nursing home where his condition was stated to be stable, the police said.

Dr Kafeel Khan took to Twitter and said, "Allah rahem kare. M not going to bend."

He told the media that the bullets have been removed from his brother's body, and "the operation has been successful. He is currently in ICU (Intensive Care Unit). Three bullets were shot at him in order to kill him. Who has fired, we do not know. But it was 500 meters from Gorakhnath Temple, where the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister was staying."

Allah rahem kare.

M not going to bend pic.twitter.com/uG4sZYVNVH  realdrkafeelkhan (@drkafeelkhan) June 10, 2018

According to reports, Dr Kafeel Khan's brother was shuttled from a private hospital to two government-run facilities, and back to a private hospital. The surgery reportedly took place around 2 am, three hours after the firing.

"Yesterday night I was insisting on a private hospital because I know a prominent neuro surgeon there. But the police kept saying that I must go to the Sadar hospital first and then to the BRD hospital. But it is the doctors at the BRD hospital who sent him back to this private hospital. So crucial time was wasted yesterday night," Dr Kafeel Khan said.

Around 11 pm, in the Humayunpur north area near the JP hospital, some bike-borne miscreants shot at Kashif Jameel. He sustained injuries on his right upper arm, neck and chin," Kotwali police station Inspector Ghanshyam Tiwari said.

"He is undergoing treatment at a private hospital where his condition is stated to be stable. No complaint has been given so far," the officer said.

Hours after the shooting, Gujarat lawmaker Jignesh Mevani targeted the Uttar Pradesh's BJP government. Mevani tweeted "Dr Kafeel saved children when Yogi Adityanath government had no money to pay for oxygen. He was put behind bars. Now his brother is shot at. Thank you so much Modi ji for what your 'acche din' are offering us - hate speeches, violence, bloodshed and bullets."

After eight months in jail, Dr Kafeel Khan was released on bail by the Allahabad High Court on April 25. The court said there was no direct evidence of negligence on his part.

63 children, mostly infants, had died at BRD hospital in Gorakhpur within a week in August, 2017. There were allegations that the deaths occurred due to disruption in oxygen supply. The BJP-led Uttar Pradesh government, however, had denied that shortage of oxygen led to the deaths.

Dr Kafeel Khan was in-charge of the pediatrics wing and had arranged oxygen cylinders from a private hospital. But he was removed and arrested on charges of negligence.Remarks on Congress president Rahul Gandhi should not be taken as a personal attack, Amit Shah said.

'Democracy is not possible without the opposition. It is a different thing that the Congress has been shrinking in the country,' Shah said.(Photo: ANI)

Raipur: BJP chief Amit Shah on Monday asserted that the opposition has a key role in a democracy and said his party's slogan of "Congress-free India" means freeing the country of that party's "culture".

He also said his some of the remarks on Congress president Rahul Gandhi should not be taken as a personal attack as he had only replied to certain questions posed by the opposition party leader.

"'Congressmukt Bharat' means getting rid of the 'Congress culture'. Democracy is not possible without the opposition. It is a different thing that the Congress has been shrinking in the country," he said.

"But it is the responsibility of Rahul Gandhi to keep the Congress alive, not mine," Shah said, when asked if the BJP wanted to wipe out the opposition from the country.

He was addressing a press conference at Ambikapur town in Chhattisgarh's Surguja district before leaving for New Delhi after his two-day visit to the city.

To a query on constantly targeting Gandhi in his speeches, Shah said, "It should not be considered as a personnel attack. He (Rahul) put forth some questions to which I answered."

The BJP has done good work and therefore, it is getting support of the people. "If we continue doing good work, people will continue to support us," he said.

He said Gandhi was asked to give an account of the four-generation rule of his family as it was in power for 55 years.

"Being the present party chief, Rahul Gandhi had to answer about the Congress legacy and I have to answer on the BJP's legacy. It should happen in a democracy and there should be no objection over it," the BJP president said.

To a question on the middle class apparently distancing itself from the Modi government, he said the centre has been working while keeping in mind benefits of all sections of society and a propaganda was being spread that the middle class has turned away from the BJP.

"The party won elections with the support of the middle class in 14 states," he noted.

Shah also highlighted the benefits and achievements of various schemes launched during the four-year rule of the NDA government at the centre led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

He said maximum number of terrorists were killed in the last four years while (international) borders were protected.

The government has a better Kashmir policy and has been keeping an eye on the situation in the valley, he said.

Shah took a jibe at former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, saying when he used to go on foreign tours, nobody knew about it but when PM Modi goes abroad, "he is welcomed" by people of those countries and Indians based there.

Hailing Chief Minister Raman Singh-led BJP government in Chhattisgarh, Shah said it has transformed a backward state into a developed one.

Chhattisgarh was part of the erstwhile Madhya Pradesh. In 1980s, Madhya Pradesh was recognised as a 'Bimaru' state as a result of long rule of the Congress. When Chhattisgarh was formed and the BJP came to power in 2003, it rapidly headed on the path of development and made its way into the list of developed states, Shah said.

Chhattisgarh has now become a power surplus state, Naxalism has been controlled, road network is being laid, agriculture production increased, and transport and communication services expanded in remote areas, he mentioned.

Naya Raipur - the upcoming capital of the state - is being built and many more development works have been done by the Raman Singh government, he said, claiming that several state governments were taking lessons from Chhattisgarh.

The senior BJP leader exuded confidence that his party would retain power for the fourth straight term in the state, in the Assembly elections due later this year.

Shah said after witnessing a huge response during his programme in Ambikapur on Sunday, he was confident that the BJP will achieve the target of clinching 65 out of 90 seats in the state Assembly polls.

The BJP chief on Sunday arrived on the visit of Ambikapur. He had held a road show in the town followed by addressing a public meeting as a part of Raman Singh's 'Vikas Yatra' campaign to highlight achievements of the 15-year rule of his government, ahead of polls in the state.He also demanded that the State government fix the onus on who had ordered police to open fire at the protesters in Thoothukudi on May 22.

Mr. Chidambaram alleged that minorities and Dalits lived in fear and people could not even move around freely or start a business of their choice, due to the dominance of right-wing forces. (Photo: File | PTI)

Chennai: Accusing the government of not being tolerant to protests, Congress leader and former Union Minister P. Chidambaram has alleged that people are living in trepidation of repressive measures. Such qualms, he claimed had never prevailed during the decade of UPA rule in the country.

He also demanded that the State government fix the onus on who had ordered the police to open fire at the protesters in Thoothukudi on May 22.

There were protests and demonstrations on various issues during the ten years of the Congress-led UPA regime and people had the right to protest or criticise the government then but now protesters are shot dead. People are living in fear now, he said, condemning the Thoothukudi firing incident during the peoples rally demanding closure of the Sterlite plant.

Speaking at a Congress rally in Karaikudi on Saturday night he said the government ought to fix responsibility on those who had ordered the police to open fire at the protesters.

There are rules to be followed for police while handling protesters. Police should shoot below the knees but in Thoothukudi some of those killed had been shot in the chest. Three poor tahsildars have been transferred claiming they had ordered the police to open fire during the anti-Sterlite protest rally, the former Union Minister said and asked if the transfer of the tahsildars the real solution. Do not the district police or district collector, DIG or the Minister have any responsibility, he asked.

Mr. Chidambaram alleged that minorities and Dalits lived in fear and people could not even move around freely or start a business of their choice, due to the dominance of right-wing forces.

The economic scenario too was far from satisfactory. The Indian economy was now running on a single wheel after tyres of three wheels - export growth, bank loans for industries and industrial growth - were punctured, he alleged. He pointed out that the nations economic growth, which was 8.2 % in 2015-16, declined to 6.7 % in 2017-18.Promises Opposition fightback; Gandhi hoodwinking voters, says BJP

Congress chief Rahul Gandhi addresses the National Convention of OBC department of AICC at Talkatora Stadium in New Delhi. (Photo: Pritam Bandyopadhyay)

New Delhi: Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Monday attacked the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre, saying that its being run by just three people  Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP chief Amit Shah and RSS head Mohan Bhagwat  who treat the country as their fiefdom and ignore peoples aspirations.

Addressing the Congress first ever Other Backward Classes (OBC) convention in New Delhis Talkatora Stadium, Mr Gandhi spoke confidently of the entire Opposition uniting soon against the BJP and its troika to show them that India, as a democracy, will be run by its people.

The country has become slave to two-three people of the BJP and the RSS, Mr Gandhi said, (But) No one can stop the entire Opposition from getting together in six-seven months to a year  whether it is Congress or the Janata Dal, you will see the entire Opposition standing together and Narendra Modi, Amit Shah or Mohan Bhagwat ji will see the strength of India... They will know that India cannot be run by two or three people, Mr Gandhi said..

Promising to uplift the oppressed classes, the Congress chief also attacked the Modi government over lack of opportunities to those who are talented and skilled, saying doors of banks and of politics are shut to OBCs in India.

Accusing the RSS of dividing people and not allowing them any opportunity to prosper, he said, Their attempt is to divide the entire OBC section in the society so that they are unable to put forth their demands and get finished.

He alleged that everyone, including BJP MPs, were afraid to speak out as they were not allowed to talk and it was only the RSS that is heard.

The BJP hit back at the Congress president calling his allegations against the Modi government as vote bank politics aimed at hoodwinking the OBC community for their votes.

BJPs OBC face and Union minister Ram Kripal Yadav said that while Mr Gandhi seemed concerned about the condition of the OBCs, he should let the community know what the Congress governments did for decades for them.

The Congress president promised to promote people who work hard behind the scene but the fruits of their toil are enjoyed by others.

Buttressing his claim about the emerging socioeconomic gap, Mr Gandhi said, Everyone must have heard about the Coca-Cola company. Who started this company? Who was he, does anyone know? I will tell you who he was. The person who started the Coca-Cola company was one who sold shikanji (lemonade). He used to sell shikanji in America. He used to mix sugar in water. His experience and talent was honoured and he got money and started the Coca-Cola company.

Mr Gandhi added, You must have heard about McDonalds company, which is seen everywhere. Who started it and what did he do? He used to run a dhaba (roadside restaurant). You show me a dhabawalla in India who has created a company like Coca-Cola. Where is it?

Attacking the Modi government, Mr Gandhi said, Its not that we dont have talent, knowledge, power, ability... but we dont have banks willing to help, offer loans. The government isnt supportive.

Mr Gandhi also said the founders of auto giants Ford, Mercedes and Honda were mechanics whose skills were recognised by the meritocratic system in their countries and allowed them to prosper.

Coca-Cola was founded by American pharmacist John Pemberton in 1886 when he prepared the famous soda-fountain beverage. McDonalds was set up in 1940 by Richard and Maurice McDonald. The couple first opened a hot dog stand in 1937 in California.

Mr Gandhi used the anecdotes to target the ruling BJP and Mr Modi, accusing them of benefiting a handful of industrialists. The BJPs strategy is clear 15-20 rich capitalists will give thousands of crores to PM Modi and all benefits will go to just those 15-20 rich people, he said.

Mr Gandhi accused the Modi government of promoting a small group of industrialists by waiving loans amounting to nearly `2.5 lakh crore and ignoring the legitimate demands of farmers, backwards and other small businesses.

The Congress chief was trolled by his critics for his Coca-Cola-shikanji story and the BJP also hit back at him.The composition again was from the Carnatic repertoire in Adi tala or teentaal.

Two of Indias oldest instruments, the Saraswati veena and the Venu (flute) were presented in a Carnatic-North Indian classical music concert by two of its finest exponents  Vidushi Dr Jayanthi Kumaresh and Pt Ronu Mazumdar. The concert was presented by the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (GNCA), whose Kaladarsana division with Dr Achal Pandya and newly appointed Director Programmes Supriya Consul seems to have a new lease of life, presenting a host of musical activities including monthly concerts on Purnima (full moon day), and folk music concerts under its Sanjari series. It was a welcome change to see senior artists like Padma Vibhushan Dr Sonal Mansingh and Pt Subhendra Rao in the audience; over the years, Delhis culture of tehzeeb (etiquette) in the music world is slowly being eroded with most musicians not bothering to attend the concerts of other musicians.

Jayanthi Kumaresh has an impressive musical lineage-7th generation representative of a line of musicians descended musically from Tyagaraja Swami; disciple of the illustrious Vidushi Padmavathy Ananthagopalan (incidentally, her aunt) and later, also disciple of Vidwan S Balachander who was one the finest and best known exponents of the instrument in his time. But what impresses is not only the musical matter she has received and extensively internalised; giving her the ability to effortlessly respond with a totally appropriate musical phrase during a jugalbandi. More, its her extensive riyaaz, which leaves one awestruck; whether in her clear taans or the perfectly executed meends, or the jhala or the left-right hand coordination illustrated so beautifully in the traditional baaj of the veena.

As Grammy nominated Pt Ronu Mazumdar, inheritor of the legacy of Bharat Ratna Pt Ravi Shankar put it Jayanthi may be my younger sister, but musically she is my elder. Amazingly generous words, possible only from an artist of his caliber who has already demonstrated his musical stature and has nothing left to prove. The Maihar Senia gharana that he so ably represents is known for its meticulous deconstruction of Raga, with gats (compositions) in rare talas. Anyone who has ever heard the maestro in concert knows the extent of his lyricity and melodious soch; yet Jayanthi, despite being a Carnatic musician where the focus is on compositions and laya, not necessarily lyricity, met each musical riposte with one equally praise worthy.

The theme of the concert was back to the origins, so the two maestros chose Ragas which were common to both systems of music, that predated the changes that came into the systems some 700 years ago. Many Ragas we hear today are of Carnatic origin, which have been incorporated into the North Indian music canvas, like Keerwani, Charukeshi, Simhendramadhyam. Some like Des, Jaijaiwanti and Bihag have been renamed and taken into the Carnatic pantheon. In this interesting jugalbandi, the first Raga played was the Carnatic Hamsanandi or Puriya/Sohani.

The format of the concert started in the North Indian idiom, with a short aalap, before moving into the Carnatic style, with a 6 matra (rupak tala in the Carnatic nomenclature, dadra taal in the North Indian), kriti Paawan Guru. Many times, jugalbandis end by being played in a very cliched, predictable way, with easy to guess sequences; this one had a flow that was not simulated, but natural. The percussionists were masters too  Pt Abhijeet Bannerji on the tabla and Vidwan Arjun Kumar on the mridangam. Each took turns at accompanying both Ronu and Jayanthi. During the composition phase, the chakradhaar tihais (repetitive sequences in triples of three repeats) were maybe a trifle overdone; also sadly, the amplification of the flute was too much.

The next Raga was Kharaharapriya or Kafi, which is one of the main Ragas in the Carnatic system, but which, in the North Indian way has traditionally been whittled down to being treated more lightly and presented more in thumri ang. Ronu Mazumdar demonstrated his vast musical ability by presented a careful aalap and jor, in Kafi, wisely leaving the jhala portion, a speciality of the veena, to Jayanthi. Her knife edge cutting strokes on the baaj(main) and chikari (drone) strings created a truly hypnotic rhythm.

The composition again was from the Carnatic repertoire in Adi tala or teentaal. The tani avartanam or percussion interchange was exciting, with Pt Abhijeet Bannerji graciously choosing to complement the mridangam intricate laya work, rather than bringing in different tabla bols (strokes.) This jugalbandi by all 4 artists highlighted this fact  each played to bring out the best aspects of the others instrument. There was not a moment of boredom during the entire nearly two hour concert.

The final concluding piece again represented the epitome of musical graciousness  Jayanthi played the popular Shri Ram Chandra Kripalu bhaj man in Yamuna Kalyani Ragam, while Ronu played Krishna nee begane in Raga Aiman Kalyan. Indeed a fitting tribute to each others music, highlighting how similar the music is, and how the differing treatment of the notes creates a totally different sound. The magic they created was only possible as they know each others music so well.

The author writes on music, musicians and matters of music, and respect each other so fully that wanting to enhance the others presentation is inevitable; the effect of ten years of playing jugalbandis with each other.During joint press conference with French President Emmanuel Macron, Justin Trudeaus eyebrow seems to have slid down his face.

To top it all, it seems that Trudeaus eyebrows have a Twitter account of their own. (Photo: AP)

During a joint press conference with French President Emmanuel Macron, Canadian PM Justin Trudeaus eyebrow seems to have slid down his face.

Twitter conspiracy theorists have gone into a meltdown over them, with many replacing cries of Fake News with Fake Brows.

While the reason for the apparent sliding down of the brow could have been anything from a lighting issue, or an unruly camera angle, but as Trudeau speaks, it seems like his dark eyebrow has slipped down almost to his eyes.

Twitter, which does not usually take time to comment on such instances, soon saw former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee tweeting, Breaking wind from CNN! @realdonaldtrump announces new tariffs on fake eyebrows!

Others too followed suit, referencing President Trump's Saturday night twitter attack on Trudeau Another twitter user said, 'Justin Trudeau's eyebrows just stole my whiskey and drove off in my car.

One Mike wrote,

Justin Trudeaus left eyebrow detached after meeting Trump  so what? These days, who doesnt wear fake eyebrows? pic.twitter.com/EZTeYllCrH  Mike (@Doranimated) June 10, 2018

And to top it all, it seems that Trudeaus eyebrows have a Twitter account of their own!

They made their online presence known with a tweet that says, 'Just so you know, yes it's true. Justin Trudeau wears fake eyebrows and takes really good care of us most of the time. But he's really intimidated by @realdonaldtrump, and the sweat loosened the glue that keeps us attached. No biggie.The bite reflex of venomous snakes is extremely strong.

Washington: A man in Texas nearly died after a four-foot Western diamondback rattlesnake bit him when he tried to get rid of it.

According to National Geographic, the man had received a heavy dose of venom of the snake. He then became very ill and was air-lifted to the hospital, where he required a large number of doses of antivenom.

He is now said to be in a stable condition. Researchers state that snakes, like many other reptiles, retain their reflexes even hours after death. Their bodies writhe around for some time after their death.

The bite reflex of venomous snakes is extremely strong because of their instinct to deliver one extremely quick bite. They then move away and wait for their venom to work.Ever since Mr Pawar made such a statement, there has been buzz of the Sena joining an anti-BJP alliance.

Mumbai: The Congress has reacted cautiously to Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawars suggestion of forming an alliance of non-BJP parties, including the Shiv Sena, to defeat the BJP.

The state Congress on Monday clarified that there was no such proposal as there were strong ideological differences between the Congress and the Sena.

The partys state chief, Mr Ashok Chavan on Monday said, The question does not arise of joining hands with the Sena. The Congress and Sena have major ideological differences and the Congress is firm about it. The decision about any alliance will be taken at the national level of the Congress party, he said.

Meanwhile, in his speech in Pune on Sunday, Mr Pawar said that going by votes in the Palghar Lok Sabha byelection, the Sena, the Congress and the Bahujan Vikas Aghadi (BVA) had more votes than the BJP. He even suggested that if all these parties joined

hands, they could defeat the BJP. During his address, Mr Pawar said, They (BJP leaders) claimed that they have won Palghar. But that is not true; if you add the votes of the Sena, BVA and Congress, then BJP is nowhere. So, all the parties should join hands in the coming elections.

Ever since Mr Pawar made such a statement, there has been buzz of the Sena joining an anti-BJP alliance. Already, the Sena has declared its intention to contest all elections independently. While the BJP top leadership is said to be pursuing the Sena as it does not want to break the alliance. With Mr Pawars statement perceived as an indirect invitation to the Sena to join an anti-BJP alliance, Congress reacted safely.

The Maharashtra Congress has already decided to form a grand anti-BJP alliance in Maharashtra. The report regarding this has already been submitted to the party high command.Two-year-old Charlee Campbell disappeared around 10am on Thursday morning from her grandmums house in Lebanon Junction, Kentucky.

The dog is believed to have guarded the child, who officials have confirmed is on the autistic spectrum, as she risked being exposed to all sorts of menaces. (Representational Photo/ Pixabay)

In a beautiful incident of animal-human bond, a pit bull dog is believed to have stayed beside a two-year-old autistic child during the time she went missing.

The pit bull has been hailed a hero by the toddlers family.

Two-year-old Charlee Campbell disappeared around 10am on Thursday morning from her grandmums house in Lebanon Junction, Kentucky.

While emergency services and volunteers were called who combed the woods in search for the toddler, it was not before 36-hours before she was spotted.

The family believe her pit bull Penny saved her life by staying by her side the whole time long.

In what seems to be much more than pure coincidence, the pitbull returned to his owners just a few minutes before Charlee reappeared.

Talking to a media channel, Beth Campbell, the toddlers grandmum said that the dog was their hero.

She added, When my dog didn't come home, and my baby wasn't home, she was not going to leave that baby until she got here.

The dog is believed to have guarded the child, who officials have confirmed is on the autistic spectrum, as she risked being exposed to all sorts of menaces.

Bullitt County Sherriff Donnie Tinnell said that he was surprised that the youngster survived the ordeal.

He added that they were coyotes in the hills along with copperheads, rattlesnakes and other dangers.

The surprise at the toddlers reappearance was mirrored by a chief firefighter, who branded it a "miracle".

The blonde and brown-eyed girl was reported to have no apparent injuries besides some scratches and tick bites.Book traces story of Raja Suheldev, legendary but forgotten hero and an unforgettable battle which kept Turks at bay for almost 170 years.

L-R_Varun Dhawan, Amish,Vikas Singh at the cover launch of Suheldev and the Battle Of Bahraich.

Varun Dhawan unveiled the cover of Amishs latest book  Suheldev and The Battle of Bahraichat Title Waves in Mumbai on Monday.

The book, assisted by Vikas Singh, is the first book with which Amish has introduced Writer's Center in India and will be published under Amishs brand new series titled Indic Chronicles.

Suheldev and The Battle of Bahraich, traces the story of Raja Suheldev, a legendary but forgotten hero and an unforgettable battle which kept the Turks at bay for almost 170 years.

Sharing his views on the cover, Varun Dhawan commented, "It is time we celebrate our Indian heroes and not look at the West to look up to heroes. You get inspired yes, but with wrtiers like Amish and Vikas whore doing a great job in making Indian history accessible and entertaining.

He further added, Your imagination runs wild when you read a book by Amish. Im sure we will see a well-made adaptation of Suheldev that will reach the world. "

The event witnessed an intriguing chat between Amish, Vikas and Varun where Amish shared his thoughts behind the cover. "With Indic Chronicle series, the idea is to explore ignored heroes. The title of the first part itself is Suheldev and the Battle of Bahraich. We attempted to showcase this great warrior hero, from a very small principality, who took the lead at a time of absolute desperation in north India at least.

He further added, We wanted to put Suheldev, the hero in the limelight and thats what the cover tried to do. It is him charging into the battle, wounded but unbowed, fierce, patriotic, inclusive and everything an Indian hero should be.

Speaking on his journey of assisting Amish in writing this book, Vikas Singh said, Ive known Amish for many years, but this is the first time we got a chance to work together. We sat down, he narrated the story and we fleshed out the ideas. I wrote the first draft and Amish penned the second draft. He had absolutely turned it around!

Singh added that Amish kept his writing intact but added drama, romance, suspense and put heart into the story.

Suheldev and The Battle of Bahraich will be published by Westland (An Amazon Company) and will release on 23 July 2018 across online and offline bookstores.Nawaz turning up the volume to a full 10 had the potential to blow up all previous electoral calculations.

And theyre finally  finally  off. Not quite charging out of the gates, more stumbling around and bumping into each other and colliding. No thoroughbreds these.

No heroes here. But its still been interesting. Dissolution was the first big test. Would the N-League crumble? The thinking had been straightforward: nobody likes to quit ahead of time, but once the Assemblies were dissolved, the cracks would manifest themselves.

Nawaz off doing his own, damaging thing; Shahbaz flailing around; the N-League seemingly rudderless  it was set up nicely for a quick implosion. Didnt happen.

Overall, the recent pattern held  a steady trickle out of the PML(N); few, if any, looking for a path into the party as a first option  and there was no radical party swapping, allegiance shifting.

The PTIs self-inflicted travails and already being packed to the gills with potential candidates may have been part of the reason. The PPP taking itself out of contention most everywhere other than Sindh also probably helped. But the story may have been about the N-League itself.

Nawaz turning up the volume to a full 10 had the potential to blow up all previous electoral calculations. The approach didnt really stand to win the PML(N) much electoral ground but it could have hurt. It hasnt really.

The steady turnout at Nawazs rallies and political intelligence from the field have suggested that while nobody was thrilled by Nawazs hard turn, the unhinged reaction to him muddied matters.

The primary vehicles used to try and pulverise Nawaz  TV and the PTI/PPP  also had their drawbacks. TV in particular is off every other day or so, chasing a new rabbit, routinely denouncing in the wildest, obscene terms even minor transgressions. After a while, that becomes easier to shrug off.

An apparent truce of sorts within the PML(N) probably helped too. You do your thing, well do ours  thats pretty much the division of labour now apparent in the PML(N). Nawaz isnt exactly talking up Shahbaz, but neither are Shahbaz & Co. tying themselves in knots trying to explain Nawaz.

The end of the Assemblies may have played a part. The rest of the PML(N) has been freed of awkward official interactions and from saying potentially contradictory stuff that confuses everyone and angers many.

The other part may have been the time it takes to re-establish a wonky truce in a big political family under the most enormous of strains, from within and outside.

Interesting too are the electoral strategies that are becoming apparent. The PTI seems to be focused on the NA, distributing more PA tickets to the fresh faces, the inexperienced and those more closely resembling the change mantra.

The chosen focus of the PTI could have consequences. It has allowed the PML(N), particularly Shahbaz, to hang on to a large chunk of the partys MPAs in Punjab. Typically, for every MNA seat, there are two MPAs.

Known as wings, MPA candidates can help boost the turnout and vote count for NA party ticketholders or chip away at the base of a strong NA opponent. A strong N-League roster of provincial candidates in a tough electoral climate could prove to be a winning edge.

Conversely, the PTIs seeming focus on the NA may allow the party to benefit from split votes.

A weak PTI field at the provincial tier versus a strong N-League field could help sort out your dilemma. Return the N-League to power in Punjab, give the PTI a shot at the Centre. The NA as the focus may also make sense for the PTI for another reason. The PTIs sloppiness and silliness on full and embarrassing display in recent days cannot have been reassuring to anyone.

The sloppiness and silliness has reaffirmed that the party can only be trusted to do a few things if it is to be expected to do anything well. Thats just the nature of the PTI. Theres no point fighting it or trying to fix it at this stage.

So if the target has to be narrow, may as well make it for the biggest prize  the National Assembly.

The end of the Assemblies has also helped partially answer two other questions. The PPP was nowhere outside Sindh in the last election and looks set to stay nowhere outside Sindh in this election.

The MQM infighting may help the PPP in Karachi, but in the other provinces a PPP ticket isnt exactly being sought after. Diminished too are the prospects of the independents. Their luck depended on the N-League imploding and the PTI struggling. Only one of those things has happened so far.

Round one, the immediate aftermath of dissolution, is over. Round two will be after Id. Remember, there are no heroes here.

By arrangement with DawnToshiba unveils new series of consumer internal hard drives in India.

Japanese electronics manufacturer Toshiba has released its brand new line-up of consumer internal hard drives in India. The internal hard drives launched include the P300 Desktop PC Hard Drive, L200 Laptop PC Hard Drive, X300 Performance Hard Drive, N300 NAS Hard Drive, S300 Surveillance Hard Drive and V300 Video Streaming Hard Drive.

The P300 Desktop PC Hard Drive comes with storage capacities up to 3TB. The model operates at 7,200rpm and built-in shock sensors that detect impact and reduce vibration during read and write operations.

The L200 Laptop PC Hard Drive series deliver up to 2TB capacity in a 2.5-inch form factor and operates at 7,200rpm. It is shock and vibration-resistant compared to 3.5-inch hard drive and works with every major brand notebook computer, gaming systems and for external storage use.

The X300 Performance Hard Drive series offer up to 10TB capacity and features Toshibas cache technology, optimizing cache allocation during read/write to provide high-level performance in real time. Available in a 3.5-inch form factor, the X300 performs at 7200rpm and an increased cache up to 256MB.

The N300 NAS Hard Drive series, for personal, home office and small business network attached storage application, is available up to 10TB capacity, and features 7,200rpm and a 256MB data buffer in the 10TB model. It supports eight drive bays in a multi-RAID NAS design, the N300 is highly scalable to the users NAS configurations as their data storage needs evolve

The V300 Video Streaming Hard Drive series is designed for video recording and playback and offers built-in silent seek technology, which results in a quiet operation. The V300 energy efficient design reduces energy consumption by up to 25%. Available in up to 3TB capacities, the V300 Hard Drive supports video editing systems, set-top-box (STB), digital video recorders (DVR) and network video recorders (NVR).

The S300 Surveillance Hard Drive comes with a cache size up to 256MB. The S300 performs at up to 7200rpm with a maximum data transfer speed of 248MB. Additionally, the S300 comes with built-in RV sensors to help suppress vibrations in multi hard drive platforms. Available in up to 10TB capacities, the new surveillance hard drive can handle high workloads up to 180TB per year.

The brand has also introduced a new colour branding scheme for its hard drives. The P300 and L200 come in a red desktop/laptop PC label, the X300 in a silver performance label, the N300 in a gold NAS label, the S300 features a green surveillance label and the V300 comes in a blue video streaming label.

(Source)As per lawsuit, Elon Musks multi-billion dollar compensation package should be rescinded and the board of Tesla should be overhauled.

The lawsuit accused the board of corporate waste and Musk, the companys chief executive officer and chairman, of unjust enrichment. The lawsuit is seeking class-action status. (Photo: AP)

Elon Musks multi-billion dollar compensation package should be rescinded and the board of Tesla Inc should be overhauled to better protect investors in the electronic car company, according to a lawsuit filed by a shareholder on Thursday.

The lawsuit accused the board of corporate waste and Musk, the companys chief executive officer and chairman, of unjust enrichment. The lawsuit is seeking class-action status.

Tesla said in a statement that the lawsuit seeks to take the power from our shareholders and instead give it to plaintiffs lawyers. We will respond accordingly.

Musk received the support of the companys shareholders in March for a package that Tesla estimated to be worth $2.6 billion.

A Morgan Stanley analyst estimated the package could be worth up to $70 billion if the company continues to grow quickly. While the award of the pay package cooled speculation that Musk might be planning to quit, it was also criticized for its unprecedented size. Proxy advisory services ISS and Glass Lewis both had recommended shareholders reject the package.

The new E. Musk compensation plan is so large it dwarfs the pay package of every other public company CEO, said the complaint by Richard Tornetta that was unsealed on Thursday in Delawares Court of Chancery.

Teslas statement noted that Musk gets nothing unless the companys market value doubles and continues to increase until it becomes one of the worlds most valuable companies. Much of the complaint describing the how the pay package is unfair was redacted.

The complaint said Tornetta obtained corporate records from Tesla as permitted under Delaware corporate law. Companies sometimes provide that information only if a shareholder signs a non-disclosure agreement.

The lawsuit was unsealed days after shareholders rejected a shareholder proposal to strip Musk of the chairman role. That had represented the strongest challenge yet to Musks grip on the Silicon Valley carmaker, which also faces production setbacks and expectations by many analysts that it will need to raise new cash.

The case was assigned to Vice Chancellor Joseph Slights. In March, Slights ruled against Teslas request for an early dismissal of a shareholder class action challenging the companys acquisition of SolarCity Corp, a renewable energy company.

The lawsuit alleged that Musk used his power over Teslas board to buy SolarCity at a price that unfairly benefited Musk, a large shareholder in SolarCity. The SolarCity deal closed in November 2016. That case is proceeding to trial.Larry Kudlow said that US had planned to sign joint G7 communique until Trudeau made certain statements countering US' economic interests.

Kudlow further warned Canada of undermining the spirit of upcoming US-North Korean summit on June 12 by passing out such comments. (Photo: AP)

Washington DC: United States President Donald Trump's chief economic adviser Larry Kudlow on Sunday accused Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of backstabbing them.

As per a CNN report, on the conclusion of the G7 summit, Kudlow said that the United States had planned to sign the joint G7 communique until Trudeau made certain statements countering the economic interests of the United States.

Trudeau addressed a news conference after the G7 summit, in which he said that Canada would "move forward with retaliatory measures" starting from July 1 in response to Trump's decision to impose 25 percent trade tariffs on aluminum and steel on its closest allies Canada, Mexico, and the European Union.

Reacting to the same, Kudlow said, "Trudeau really kind of stabbed us in the back."

He further said that throughout the summit, the United States tried negotiating with Trudeau in "good faith," but the Canadian President undermined the United States and its allies.

Kudlow further warned Canada of undermining the spirit of upcoming US-North Korean summit on June 12 by passing out such comments.

"He (Trump) is not going to permit any show of weakness on the trip to negotiate with North Korea," Kudlow said.

On that note, Trump had cut short his trip to La Malbaie in Canada where the much-awaited G7 summit took place.

Kudlow further called Kim as "crazy nuclear tyrant" as he urged the other members of G8 to support Trump.

Trump had earlier called Trudeau's statement as "dishonest and weak."

"PM Justin Trudeau of Canada acted so meek and mild during our G7 meetings only to give a news conference after I left saying that, "US Tariffs were kind of insulting" and he "will not be pushed around." Very dishonest & weak. Our Tariffs are in response to his of 270% on dairy!" Trump tweeted.The PPP popular leader in Jamshoro Malik Asad is not happy with the strategy in awarding tickets in the district.

he PTI chairman Imran Khan is in Saudi Arabia along with his spouse Bushra Bibi to perform Umrah (mini-pilgrimage). (Photo: File)

Islamabad: All the three major political parties of Pakistan are struggling to satisfy their workers on the tickets distribution for the July 25 polls.

Workers of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) as well as the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) have been protesting after the tickets distribution.

To pacify the workers, the parliamentary board of the PTI has awarded tickets to more applicants, including ex-federal minister Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan, Sheharyar Afridi and former Khyber Pakhtunkhwa minister Shaukat Yousafzai, amid cheers and an air of resentment.

The PTI chairman Imran Khan is in Saudi Arabia along with his spouse Bushra Bibi to perform Umrah (mini-pilgrimage).

Moreover, the PTI has taken a bold decision of fielding a female candidate, Hameeda Shahid from Lower Dir for a provincial assembly seat. The region made headlines during the last elections when women voters were not allowed to exercise their right to vote.

Ali Muhammad Khan, who has been vocal in defence of the party, particularly on the media, is not sure of getting a nod from the parliamentary board, as survey in the constituency will determine his fate.

In Sindh, the PPP is also in hot water over awarding party tickets, while the PML-N and PTI are also under pressure. The PPP leadership is struggling to settle down the party tickets issues.

In Karachi, the party workers are protesting over not awarding ticket to Sajid Jokhio, former provincial minister. Jokhio has differences with Hakeem Baloch group and Jokhio is likely to join alliance of local political figures.

The PPP popular leader in Jamshoro Malik Asad is not happy with the strategy in awarding tickets in the district.

Malik Asad, who remained unchallengeable leader during the last 30 years, reportedly has some land dispute with a partys top leader. He is planning to contest election on three provincial and one National Assembly seat of the province if the party did not award him tickets.

Media reports said differences have also emerged between the groups led by former chief minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah and former provincial minister Manzoor Wasan. The differences could not be resolved as Qaim Ali Shah left a meeting chaired by Faryal Talpur for mitigating the differences.The blast took place at the entrance to Afghanistans rural rehabilitation and development ministry.

Kabul: A suicide bomber killed 12 people and wounded more than 30 on Monday at the entrance to Afghanistans rural rehabilitation and development ministry in the west of the capital, government spokesmen said.

No group immediately claimed responsibility.

Woman, children and employees of the ministry are among the victims, Najib Danish, spokesman for the interior ministry, told Reuters.

Afghan Taliban militants on Saturday announced a surprise three-day ceasefire over the Muslim Eid holiday at the end of this week, their first offer of its kind, days after the government declared an unconditional ceasefire of its own against the Taliban.Chairman Kim Jong Un on Sunday held meeting PM Lee. He thanked Singapore's organisation of summit as if it was 'their own family affair'.

During the flight, the President spent time meeting with his staff, reading materials, and preparing for his meetings in Singapore. (Photo: AP)

Singapore: US President Donald Trump will on June 11 hold a meeting with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, ahead of the historic US-North Korea summit on Tuesday, June 12.

The meeting between the two leaders will be followed by expanded bilateral meetings and a working lunch.

White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said that the President, Secretary of State, White House Chief of Staff, and National Security Adviser have arrived in Singapore for the June 12 summit.

On Monday, Sung Kim, a former US ambassador to South Korea and former nuclear negotiator with the North, will lead a US delegation for a working group with a North Korean delegation at the Ritz Carlton hotel, Sanders said.

"We are also planning a briefing by senior administration officials in the filing centre at the JW Marriott tentatively scheduled for 5pm local time," she said in the briefing note issued in Washington on Sunday.

During the flight, the President spent time meeting with his staff, reading materials, and preparing for his meetings in Singapore.

Chairman Kim on June 10 held a meeting with Prime Minister Lee. He thanked Singapore's organisation of the summit as if it was "their own family affair". The two leaders discussed bilateral relations as well as the summit and the recent positive developments on the Korean peninsula.

Lee complimented the bold and admirable decision by Kim and Trump to come together for the Summit. Prime Minister Lee wished Kim a success for the summit and expressed hope that the US-DPRK meeting will advance the prospects for peace and stability in the Korean peninsula and the larger region.

Singapore is one of the few countries that have diplomatic relations with both the US and North Korea.

Trump and Kim are set to meet on Tuesday at the Capella Hotel on Sentosa for talks which could see North Korea dismantle its nuclear arsenal in return for economic help and security guarantees.

The summit will be the first meeting between Trump and Kim and mark a turnaround of relations between the two leaders after a long-running exchange of furious threats and insults. The two leaders have had an extraordinary up-and-down relationship over the past 18 months.

Some 2,500 journalists are reporting on the event, which is costing Singapore government about SGD 20 million.Stating that US would not again be duped by North Korea, Pompeo said the Trump administration would only accept complete denuclearisation.

On the eve of a historic summit between President Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un, Pompeo sounded an upbeat tone, saying that preparatory talks were advancing more quickly than expected. (Photo: AP)

Singapore: The United States is willing to offer North Korea unique security guarantees if it embarks on complete verifiable and irreversible denuclearisation, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Monday.

On the eve of a historic summit between President Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un, Pompeo sounded an upbeat tone, saying that preparatory talks were advancing more quickly than expected.

Stating that the United States would not again be duped by North Korea, Pompeo said the Trump administration would only accept complete denuclearisation.

In return, he said, We will take actions to provide them sufficient certainty that they can be comfortable that denuclearisation is not something that ends badly for them, Pompeo said.

Just the opposite. That it leads to a brighter and better future for the North Korean people.

Pompeo said these guarantees would be different and unique than America has been willing to provide before.

Im very optimistic we will have a successful outcome with the two leaders, he said.

There are only two people that can make decisions of this magnitude. Those two people will sit in a room tomorrow.by J.B. An Dang

Never in the history of Vietnams communist regime have there been so many protests. For the first time, government property is attacked in Binh Thuan where the local People's Committee building was stormed by demonstrators, resulting in 102 arrests. Thousands of peasants and workers in the city of Phan Ri Cua paralysed National Highway No. 1. The bishop emeritus of Vinh and all the priests of the deanery of Minh Cam took part in a protest at the end of a Mass.

Hanoi (AsiaNews) - The Vietnamese government is cracking down hard on a wave of unprecedented protests against a controversial bill that would set up special administrative and economic units.

Last week, the countrys National Assembly discussed a proposal to establish three special economic zones to benefit Chinese investment in the provinces of Quang Ninh, Khanh Hoa and Kien Giang. The law would provide major incentives with few restrictions with land leased for up to 99 years.

As a result, large-scale protests broke out across the country on Saturday, spilling over to Sunday. Never in the history of Vietnams communist regime have there been so many protests, especially in the South, where government repression has been greatest. Over the past three days, the security forces have made hundreds of arrests.

Early yesterday, thousands of peasants and workers from the city of Phan Ri Cua, Binh Thuan province, protested on National Highway no. 1. This follows complaints over the past few months about the high levels of pollution in the area, home to the countrys second most important Marian shrine, Our Lady of Tapao.

A Chinese-owned electric generator factory is at the centre of the protest because it stripped local hills of all vegetation and left scores of children with dangerously high levels of lead in their blood.

Since the Vietnamese government has ignored local concerns, residents have taken to the streets to stop more land from being given away. Quickly, the crowd swelled to tens of thousands of people, forcing the authorities to deploy security forces to disperse them by force.

However, protesters have opposed fierce resistance and blocked the highway until late at night, paralysing traffic between north and south Vietnam.

Whilst the police were barely able to reopen the highway, thousands of protesters gathered in the afternoon in front of the Binh Thuan People's Committee building.

Several passersby joined them. Violence broke out after police started dragging scores of peaceful protesters into the building. The clashes lasted for hours, and protesters eventually took control of the building (picture 2), which was ransacked. The building and cars were set on fire (picture 3).

This is the first time in history that government property is the object of such violence since the Communists took over. This morning, state media announced the arrest of 102 people in connection with the violence in Binh Thuan.

In the diocese of Vinh, Bishop Emeritus Mgr Cao inh Thuyen and all the priests of the deanery of Minh Cam took part in a protest yesterday at the end of the Mass. They carried signs saying "Protest against the draft law on special economic zones" and "Protest against leasing land to China" (picture 4).

"By virtue of our social responsibility and with due respect, after carefully listening to heartfelt and science-based feedback from professionals and understanding the majoritys worries, we suggest to the National Assembly to respect the aspiration of the people and cancel the draft on economic zones," said Mgr Cao.

Overall, protests broke out in major cities and various towns. Tens of thousands of people took to the streets of Ha Noi, a Nang, Nha Trang, Phan Thiet, Saigon, Ho Nai and My Tho, not only against plans to set up the three economic zones but also against a draft law to restrict Internet use.

Millions of Vietnamese fear the economic zones in Van on (north), Bac Van Phong (centre) and Phu Quoc Island (south) could become military outposts for "Chinese aggression" in Southeast Asia, like those in Cambodia and Sri Lanka.

The countrys parliament was set to vote on the new legislation on special economic zones next Friday (15 June), but the government announced its intention to postpone the vote.

However, despite opposition at home and abroad, a vote will go ahead on a proposed Internet security law. The latter is similar to the one adopted by China. It imposes severe restrictions and forces users to provide personal information.

Access to political blogs, Google and Facebook will be blocked. Furthermore, all servers must be located in Vietnam and any information will be subject to censorship.About half of the votes were kept within the structure. The Ministry of the Interior states that no ballot box has been destroyed. The outgoing premier speaks of "plot" targeting democracy and announces an "iron fist". The incident feeds calls for re-run of election.

Baghdad (AsiaNews / Agencies)  Just days after the request of the Iraqi Parliament to carry out a re-count of the results of the last 12 May general elections over (possible) fraud, the most important ballot storage deposit caught fire.

It housed about half of total votes cast by citizens. The incident, whose causes have not yet been ascertained, has fuelled the call for new elections.

Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi called the fire a "plot" to attack democracy in Iraq.

It has triggered further doubts and questions about the regularity of an election already suspected of irregularities. Less than 45% of voters cast their ballot, a historical minimum, and immediately fraud allegations emerged.

"We will take all the necessary measures - underlined the premier in a statement - and strike with an iron fist all who undermine the security of the nation and its citizens". The Ministry of the Interior added that "not even one box is burned" containing the votes.

Experts and investigators have opened an investigation to determine the causes of the fire and prepare a detailed report to illustrate the possible causes.

Last week the Iraqi parliament passed a motion calling for a recount, this time by hand, card by card. The political elections saw the victory of the radical Shiite leader Moqtada al-Sadr and of his populist and anti-terrorist movement. Previously rumors of fraud and disputes had emerged, prompting the government to form a commission of inquiry and to postpone the official announcement of the results.

For the outgoing President of Parliament Salim al-Jabouri the incident shows that it is necessary to repeat the elections. "The crime of burning ballot-box storage warehouses in the Rusafa area is a deliberate act, a planned crime, aimed at hiding instances of fraud and manipulation of votes, lying to the Iraqi people and changing their will and choices".

Those who oppose a new vote count, especially within the winning coalition, affirm that those who voted for an audit did so [as in the case of the president of the Parliament al-Jabouri] after losing his seat. The al-Sadr block boycotted the session in which the vote took place.Edward Leung took part in the clashes in February 2016. He is charged with participating in a riot. Card. Zen among those calling for a reduction in the sentence.

Hong Kong (AsiaNews / Agencies) - Edward Leung, the "face" of the Hong Kong separatists, will face six years in prison.

The ruling was issued today by the High Court. Leung, 27, was convicted for his role in the demonstrations of 8-9 February 2016 in the district of Mong Kong, marked by violent clashes between police and demonstrators. The days following the "Mong Kok fish ball revolution", many have accused the security forces of excessive violence and even beating innocent passersby.

The court accuses Leung of having "actively participated in a riot", and of behaving in a "brutal" way without reason. The activist has already served a one-year sentence for assaulting a police officer, a charge he admitted.

Kin-man and Wong Ka-kui, two other pro-independence activists, were also sentenced to seven and three and a half years in prison respectively.

Several Hong Kong personalities have come out publically in favor of Leung to demand a reduction of the sentence. Chief among these is former parliamentarian Margaret Ng Oi-yee. Alongside Ng - who defined Leung as a "talent" of his generation - there is also the bishop emeritus of Hong Kong, Card. Joseph Zen Ze-kiun, and the British representative Rodney Elton.

Leung is considered the leader of the "localist" movement, born from the ashes of the "Umbrella uprising" of autumn 2014. A product of popular discontent, the group accuses China of exerting increasing control over the city, breaking the agreement signed in 1997 with the United Kingdom, according to which the autonomy of Hong Kong must be respected for 50 years.by Lazzaro You Heung Sik

The Bishop of Daejeon says economic and strategic interests involving Japan, Russia, the US and China tend to keep the peninsula divided, but the Korean people want peace. Kim Jong-un's requests: insurances for his safety; aid to the people of the North. Moon has managed to win everyone's trust. For the South Koreans this opening and dialogue was unexpected, perhaps dreamed of. Prepare to evangelize the North.

Daejeon (AsiaNews) - "The Korean people, those from the South and the North, want peace, a just peace. The limitations and delays come from the great powers, which out of their own interests want to keep the Korean peninsula divided. But our desire for peace has pushed them to today's event, the meeting between President Trump and leader Kim Jong-un. " This is the simple analysis that Msgr. Lazzaro You Heung-sik has entrusted to AsiaNews on the eve of the summit between the two leaders in Singapore. Msgr. You is Bishop of Daejeon and President of the Episcopal Commission for Society.

Tomorrow's meeting between President Donald Trump and leader Kim Jong-un was almost impossible to imagine until a few months ago. Then, after it was decided, there was a rethink by Trump. But what gave the impetus was the tenacity with which the inter-Korean dialogue was carried out, particularly between President Moon Jae-in and Kim Jong-un.

The Korean people, those from the South and the North, want peace, a just peace. The limitations and delays are the work of the great powers, whose interests lie in keeping the Korean peninsula divided. But our desire for peace has pushed them to today's event, the meeting between President Trump and leader Kim Jong-un.

There is a need to stir hearts and for this reason we have organized some prayer novenas in several dioceses of South Korea, which concluded today, on the eve of the summit. Pope Francis is also close to us and yesterday at the Angelus he prayed that the Singapore talks "can contribute to the development of a positive path, which will ensure a peaceful future for the Korean Peninsula and for the whole world".

Our situation and our future depends on the great powers, on economic and strategic interests involving Japan, Russia, the US and China. But we can overcome these problems by asking God and Mary, Queen of Korea, to change hearts and work for our reconciliation.

The great powers were the ones that have wanted division and war in Korea. This has led to many wounds and hatred among us too. But now, after 65 years, the time has come to find a just peace. By now the relationship between the two Koreas is sincere and on the right track, also thanks to the determined commitment of President Moon.

It must be said that this inter-Korean dialogue - and tomorrow's meeting with Trump - are also important for Kim Jong-un. North Korea is also evolving. We must not forget that Kim Jong-un has done much more than his predecessors for his people. To find solutions to the misery and defeat of the economy, he gave the land to the peasants, asking them for only 10% of their revenues for the State. This has in fact created a free market, through which North Koreans manage to get food and exchange surplus produce with other goods. It must be said that since Kim Jong-un came to power there have been fewer deaths in North Korea and fewer attempts to flee abroad.

Moreover, his predecessors lived like emperors, dominating the population. But now, in Pyongyang and in the North there are at least 4 million smartphones (even if the internet connection is still prohibited) and therefore you can no longer keep people captive and under control for a long time. It is time to expand the network also in the North.

What Kim asks is first of all is security for his own safety and then security and economic aid for his population. The US wants him to renounce nuclear weapons first; in the future then there will be economic aid. Instead, Kim wants the two things to go hand in hand. I hope that in Singapore, the US will accept this latest solution.

A final word must be said about President Moon. He is a great politician who has managed to create trust with everyone: with the North, with Japan, with Russia, with the USA and with China, and also with the people of the South. For us South Koreans this opening and these dialogue were almost unexpected, perhaps dreamed of. And now, the end of an atmosphere of war and division is near.

Finally, I would like to highlight the responsibility of the Church in Korea for the evangelization of the North. As is well known, for 65 years, the Church in North Korea (there are two dioceses and a territorial abbey) has remained as a Church without a shepherd, in total silence. This saddens me deeply. Foreign missionaries came to North Korea before the Korean War and described Pyongyang as the Jerusalem of Asia, because there were so many conversions to Jesus Christ. We, Catholics of the South, must think seriously about our missionary commitment to our brothers and sisters in the North. They too have a right to hear the Gospel and we have the responsibility [to bring it to them]. I believe that this work of evangelization is the best service we can give to our brothers and sisters in the North. This is why we should prepare ourselves well, both spiritually and materially.Two Korean missionaries were arrested in the city of Wenzhou and their church searched. Persecution continues against underground pastors. Xi Jinpings new rules against religious freedom start to bear fruit.

Whenzou (AsiaNews/Agencies)  Chinese authorities arrested two South Korean missionaries in the city of Wenzhou in late May. The police searched their church, which was closed for a week. The community is not part of the Three Autonomies Movement.

Over the past month alone, thirty Korean pastors have been arrested and taken to court in Ningxia region and in the provinces of Shanxi, Hebei and Henan.

Since April, the Religious Affairs Department has intensified checks on foreign religious. The persecution is particularly centred on missionaries from South Korea.

Measures and progress reports have been posted on Chinese government websites regarding the activities of Korean Christians in China.

According to the Christian Today website, there are some 4,000 South Korean missionaries in China.

More than a thousand have been deported between 2013 and 2017, and there could be more to come, once new regulations introduced on 1st February 2018 come into full effect.

South Korean missionaries are legally present on Chinese territory on student or tourist visas. However, most of these visas have not been renewed or accepted recently.

Korean churches have a long history of missionary work in China ... but what we have seen in the past 18 months to two years has been a steady crackdown on the part of Chinese officials on South Korean missionary activities in China, said Rev Eric Foley, CEO of Voice of the Martyrs Korea. Its a story that has not been told in China or Korea.By Melissa de Zwart, Professor, Adelaide Law School, University of Adelaide

Shutterstock/Gearstd

For the past 20 years, Australia has attempted to stake its claim in the lucrative commercial space industry.

In some aspects we have done quite well. There is no doubt that we have some of the most advanced ground systems in the world, and our open, relatively unpopulated geography makes the Australian continent ideal for operations such as the Square Kilometre Array.

But despite our accomplishments on the ground, there has been very limited success for Australians wanting to get to space from our continent.





Read more:

As the details emerge on Australia's new space agency, we (might) finally have lift-off





Early launch plans

The enactment of the Space Activities Act 1998 (Cth), one of the first examples of a domestic commercially focused space law, was prompted by the plans by Kistler Aerospace to establish a spaceport at Woomera.

That Act was focused on the operations that were taking place at the time. Australia was seeing significant interest from overseas entities who wanted to capitalise on our geography for launching rockets.

Fast forward to 2018, and no commercial launch operator has yet established themselves in Australia.

Rather, we have a burgeoning commercial interest in low-cost, high-volume cube sats for Internet of Things applications.

In 2015, the federal government announced a review of the Space Activities Act, recognising that regulation is just as significant a barrier for the space industry as the cost involved.

In early 2017, after a significant consultative period, the Department of Industry, Innovation and Science (DIIS) recognised the need for reform, recommending that the Space Activities Act be replaced.

Rise of the space agency

In the intervening time, the government also announced the Space Capability Review and accepted its recommendation of the introduction of an Australian Space Agency.

That agency, to be headed by former CSIRO boss Megan Clark AC, will come into being on July 1, 2018. Many people consider the move to be a reaffirmation of Australias interest in the space domain.

More than a year after the legislative proposal paper was released by the DIIS, the Space Activities Amendment (Launches and Returns) Bill 2018 received its second reading in the House of Representatives on May 30, 2018, with little fanfare or coverage.

Despite the lengthy period of consultation and the initial statements that an entirely new Act would be drafted, this is a revision of the already existing legislation. It does little to inspire confidence in the governments approach to an Australia commercial space industry.

Limited changes in legislation

This Bill purports to broaden regulatory frameworks, expand the scope of the Act, reduce costs to operators, and reduce barriers to entry.

In some ways, it will achieve these goals. There is a reduction of the insurance requirements for operators, from a world-leading A$750 million to a far more competitive A$100 million.

The bill facilitates the launch of space objects from aircraft, will recognise the prevalence of overseas markets for launch operations, and introduce the ability to launch rockets reaching an altitude less than 100km - Australias regulatory demarcation of outer space.





Read more:

Small sats are vital to Australia's space industry  and they won't be space junk





As noted above, the changes to the Act are dwarfed by the content that is merely left in place. Operators previously complained of an Act that is vague, difficult to navigate, and with prohibitive compliance costs.

Most of the changes embodied within the bill are merely in name only. A Space Licence becomes a Facility Licence with the only substantive reduction in pre-licence compliance being that the licence is no longer restricted to corporations.

The Overseas Launch Licence is renamed the Overseas Payload Permit, but is not matched with any substantive changes. This would see an Australian who wishes to launch a rocket overseas need a payload permit to launch their rocket.

Further, and of significant concern to commercial operators considering whether they should base their operations in Australia or move offshore, is the requirement for all permits to include a strategy for debris mitigation.

It is not clear what form this should take or how stringently this must comply, for example, with standards such as Space Debris Mitigation Guidelines of the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space.

Advances overseas

If we look overseas there has been an abundance of new domestic laws that focus on promoting commercial activity while more actively aiming to protect the domain that is so important to everyday life.

Recent domestic enactments such as the British Space Industry Act 2018, the New Zealand Outer Space and High-altitude Activities Act 2017, and a plethora of US statutes recognise the need for on-orbit regulation.





Read more:

Lost in space: Australia dwindled from space leader to also-ran in 50 years





Under the United Nations Outer Space Treaty, a country is required to authorise and continually supervise non-government activities in outer space.

Australias existing Act, and this new Bill, fail to do this. Regulating activities while in space is the hallmark of modern domestic space law.

Finally, there is no reference to the new Australian Space Agency. It is anticipated that the agency will be the relevant regulatory body for the purposes of the Act and its role will be articulated in the yet to be developed rules.

A slight element of unease creeps into the space industry in the face of this disconnect. It is hoped that this does not reflect any ambivalence to the future role of such an Agency nor reflect a lack of commitment to Australia becoming a driving force in the space industry.









Flickr/Jill Bazeley, CC BY-NC





Joel Lisk contributed to the research for this article.

Melissa de Zwart is a Member of the Advisory Council of the Space Industry Association of Australia.

Originally published in The Conversation.Hi,



My dad has a permanent resident visa (subclass 111). He got it in the 1980's. He just got a new passport, so he filled out the form 929 to connect the details of his visa to his new passport.



We got an email back saying that "your form 929 has been processed and your details have been updated." The email said we could check visa details on VEVO, but I can't find his visa evidence number on his visa so I can't connect to VEVO.



Could anyone tell me where it is printed on older visas? (His would be from the 1980s). There are different strings of numbers printed on the visa, but I can't work out which one is the visa evidence number.



Thanks!



Thanks!Hey everyone first post ever.



So i met a woman i fell in love with from Thailand. Met her 1st of March 2018 and Married June 5th.

I cant bring her to Australia quickly so i am moving over to Greece which i am a dual citizen of (Aussie passport and Greek). She will be given a yearly spouse visa which is renewed yearly.

Now i will be living with her in property i own in Greece until the Visa 309 gets approved. I plan not to work in Greece as i have enough money for us to both live on for 9 years.



Now here are some questions before i decide to apply for the Visa on Immi account.



Is it too early in the marriage? Should we collect more evidence over the next 12months.



She will be living with me but the only thing to prove her address will be the documents showing on her Greek Visa and a mobile phone that will registered in her name. My bills are direct debit so nothing will be in her name. Is that going to be an issue?



She will not work in Greece will that be a problem? payslips etc Although i will take her to English school classes.



I have no witnesses there yet, and most friends only speak greek



I have no parents they passed away.



I just dont know if we will have enough documents.



We will have enough evidence like photos together, travel documents, reciepts of going out.Sal Moretti is a retired City of Bakersfield superintendent, former U.S. Air Force captain, Kern County Homeless Collaborative co-chair and freelance writer. He can be reached by email at smoretti3313@sbcglobal.net or on Facebook. The views expressed here are his own.Articles Sorry, there are no recent results for popular articles.

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